By Jordan Long
The Vegas Golden Knights missed the postseason for the first time in their franchise history this past season. They moved on from Head Coach Peter DeBoer after the poor season. It didn’t take them long to hire their new Head Coach, Bruce Cassidy.
DeBoer’s record wasn’t that awful. He went 98-50-12 for the Vegas Golden Knights, a winning percentage of .650. They earned a playoff spot in 2020 and 2021. This season though, the Golden Knights didn’t play up to expectations. They ended the year at 43-31-8, a total of 94 points, 3 points behind Nashville for the final Wild Card spot. Most franchises would keep that coach since that is close to a playoff spot. Vegas, though, decided that wasn’t enough. They started a coaching search and ended up hiring Cassidy.
Cassidy has NHL Head Coaching experience with 8 years behind an NHL bench. He coached for Washington and Boston. Washington was his first job from 2002 to 2004. Washington earned a playoff spot in the 2002 to 2003 season. He was let go 28 games into 2004.
Cassidy had a second chance with Boston which lasted from 2016 to the end of the Bruins’ playoff run this year. Cassidy coached the Bruins to 6 consecutive playoff appearances. They advanced to one Stanley Cup Final, in 2019 but lost to the St. Louis Blues in 7 games. Cassidy wasn’t able to coach them back to the Final.
This past season was another playoff disappointment for the Bruins. They were knocked out of the first-round in 7 games by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins chose to fire Cassidy for the playoff failure.
Cassidy is a great hire for the Golden Knights. His overall record as Head Coach in the NHL is 292 wins, 155 losses, 9 ties, and 53 overtime losses. Cassidy’s winning percentage is .635. His teams earned a playoff spot 7 times. Cassidy hopes to help the Golden Knights win a Stanley Cup. They were close in 2018, their first year in the NHL, but lost to the Washington Capitals.
According to msn.com, Cassidy said, “I am excited to join an organization that shares my commitment to winning and can’t wait to get to work with the talent that has been assembled in Vegas. It’s been impressive to watch the city embrace the Golden Knights from afar, and my family and I look forward to becoming a part of that.”
Cassidy may not have that much time as Head Coach. The Golden Knights aren’t patient with their coaches. DeBoer lasted 160 games while their first Coach in their history, Gerard Gallant, was let go after 213 games. Cassidy knows there is pressure to win now. He must be successful otherwise he will be gone. On paper, Cassidy is the right hire.
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