| Born: | May 20, 1965 | Draft: | 1983 Blackhawks, 18th overall |
| Hometown: | Ottawa, ON, Canada | Position: | Defense |
| Known For: | Shoots: | Left | |
| National Team: | Canada | | |
Bruce James Cassidy is a Canadian former hockey player and coach. He is currently the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent his entire NHL playing career with the Chicago Blackhawks, played in Europe, and previously served as the head coach of the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.
A defenseman, Cassidy played for the Ottawa 67’s from 1982 to 1985. He was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 1983 Entry Draft, making his NHL debut in the 1983-84 season before returning to Ottawa. Injuries limited Cassidy’s NHL career, and he played in the AHL for most of his career. He also played in Italy and Germany before he became a coach.
Cassidy’s first head coaching job was for the Jacksonville Lizard Kings of the ECHL, and he left to join the Indianapolis Ice in 1998 for one season. He also had coaching spells with the Trenton Titans and the Grand Rapids Griffins, the latter of whom were the Ottawa Senators‘ affiliate team. He guided the Griffins to a division title in the 2001-02 season. His success caught the attention of the Washington Capitals, and he moved to D.C. in 2002.
Cassidy guided the Capitals to the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, and his team lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was fired in early 2004 after he recorded a 8-16-1 record. He joined the Chicago Blackhawks‘ coaching staff later that year and remained there until 2006, leaving after his contract expired. He later coached the Kingston Fronteacs of the OHL for two years.
The Providence Bruins hired Cassidy in 2008 as assistant coach to Rob Murray. After Murray was fired in 2011, Cassidy was promoted to head coach. He moved to the Boston Bruins in 2016 to be one of Claude Julien’s coaches, and Cassidy was named head coach in April 2017. The Bruins made it to the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.
Cassidy guided the Bruins to the Presidents’ Trophy in the 2019-20 season and won the Jack Adams award.
Years as a NHL player: 1983-1990
Years as a NHL coach: 2002-present
Bruce Cassidy Statistics
Deeper Dive
Coaching History
- Jacksonville Lizard Kings (Head Coach) 1996-1998
- Indianapolis Ice (Head Coach) 1998-1999
- Trenton Titans (Head Coach) 1999-2000
- Grand Rapids Griffins (Head Coach) 2000-2002
- Washington Capitals (Head Coach) 2002-2004
- Chicago Blackhawks (Assistant Coach) 2004-2006
- Kingston Fronteacs (Head Coach) 2006-2008
- Providence Bruins (Assistant Coach) 2008-2011
- Providence Bruins (Head Coach) 2011-2016
- Boston Bruins (Assistant Coach) 2016-2017
- Boston Bruins (Head Coach) 2017-2022
- Vegas Golden Knights (Head Coach) 2022-present
Achievements
- Won the Jack Adams award as head coach of Boston Bruins (2020)