By Jordan Long
The Boston Bruins finished the regular season at 51-26-5 for a total of 107 points, earning a playoff spot as the first wild card team. In the first-round they were beaten by the Carolina Hurricanes in 7 games. Once the final buzzer sounded on May 14th, Boston was into the offseason and had major decisions to make. They decided to fire Head Coach Bruce Cassidy.
Cassidy was Boston’s Head Coach for the past 6 years. In that time Boston went 245-108-46. Boston never missed the postseason with him. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Final once in 2019 but were beaten by the St. Louis Blues in 7 games. Boston never made it that far with him again.
This year, Boston had a chance to advance to the 2nd-round. They pushed the Carolina Hurricanes to 7 games. Unfortunately, game 7 didn’t go their way. They lost 3-2. Boston took their time and eventually canned Bruce Cassidy.
According to CBSsports.com, Boston Bruins’ General Manager Don Sweeney said, “After 14 years working with Bruce, this was an extremely difficult decision. I want to thank and acknowledge Bruce for all his work and success with the Bruins organization. His head coaching record for the Bruins is impressive, and we are appreciative of Bruce both professionally and personally. After taking some time to fully digest everything, I felt that the direction of our team for both this season and beyond would benefit from a new voice.”
The Bruins will start a coaching search. There are two coaches who should be on the list since they have Head Coaching experience and they have Stanley Cup rings as well, John Tortorella and Mike Babcock.
John Tortorella has coached at the NHL level for 20 years. His stops include the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets. His overall record is 673 wins, 541 losses, 37 ties, and 132 overtime losses, a winning percentage of .548. His teams went to the postseason 12 times including winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. His record speaks for itself. Tortorella knows how to turn a team into a winner. Tortorella was fired after 18-26-12 finish in the shortened 2021 season.
Babcock also has been a coach in the NHL. He coached the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. In 17 seasons, his overall record is 700 wins, 418 losses, 19 ties, and 164 overtime losses. His teams earned a playoff spot 14 times while advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals 3 times. He helped the Red Wings win the Cup in 2008.
The only problem with Babcock is he hasn’t coached in the league since the 2019-2020 season when the Maple Leafs let him go following a 9-10-4 start. Both of these coaches make a lot of sense to help Boston.
For Cassidy, he should have another chance to coach in the NHL. It may not be next year, but he has proven to be able to coach a franchise into a consistent playoff team.
The Boston Bruins want to build another Stanley Cup team. A head coach with NHL knowledge will help them. They haven’t won the Cup since 2011. Boston is looking to end that drought. The next coach will have time to coach them into a winner with that goal.
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