Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney announced today that the Bruins have hired Providence Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy as an assistant coach.
Cassidy will join Jay Pandolfo, Joe Sacco and Bob Essensa on head coach Claude Julien’s coaching staff.
Cassidy recently completed his fifth season as head coach of the Providence Bruins in 2015-16, having spent the three previous seasons (2008-11) with the club as an assistant. The 50-year-old native of Ottawa, Ont., compiled a 207-149-24 overall record, including winning seasons in all five years, Calder Cup Playoff berths in each of his final four seasons in Providence and a division title in 2012-13.
In 2015-16, Cassidy helped lead the P-Bruins to a 41-22-9-4 record. Current Bruins players in the organization with NHL experience who have played under Cassidy during his tenure as P-Bruins head coach include Noel Acciari, Tommy Cross, Brian Ferlin, Seth Griffith, Alexander Khokhlachev, Torey Krug, Colin Miller, Kevan Miller, Joe Morrow, David Pastrnak, Tyler Randell, Ryan Spooner, Malcolm Subban, Zach Trotman and Frank Vatrano.
Cassidy’s previous NHL experience includes a stint as head coach of the Washington Capitals from 2002-04, as he helped lead the Caps to a 39-29-8-6 record and a postseason berth in his first season with the team. Following his exit from Washington, he served as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2005-06 season.
In the AHL, Cassidy also served as head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2001-02, guiding the team to a 42-27-11 record and a division title and winning the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach.
