Bruins will bring back Bruce Cassidy as head coach
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins are bringing Bruce Cassidy back next season, dropping the interim tag from his title as a reward for leading the team back to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
Cassidy replaced Claude Julien, the winningest coach in the history of the Original Six franchise, on Feb. 8 and led the team to an 18-8-1 record to finish out the season and earn a post-season berth. They were eliminated on Sunday by the Ottawa Senators in six games in the first round.
Julien led the Bruins to the NHL championship in 2011 and back to the Stanley Cup finals in 2013. But they missed the post-season the last two seasons and were out of playoff position on Feb. 8, having lost six of their last nine games, when Julien was fired.
After Cassidy took over, the Bruins led the league in goals per game and tied for second in wins. They won their first four games after the change and added a six-game winning streak to clinch a playoff berth. In all, they went 18-8-1 to close out the season, finishing third in the Atlantic Division.