Ex-Bruins coach back in Stanley Cup Final, compares it to 2019 Boston run

Bruce Cassidy is on his way back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2019. However, he’s on a different team this time around.

Less than a year after he was fired as the head coach of the Boston Bruins, Cassidy’s Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final with a 6-0 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final on Monday night.

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Cassidy helped lead the B’s to the Cup Final in 2019, but fell short in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues on home ice. The Bruins made the playoffs in each of his six seasons behind the bench but only made one Final before the two sides parted ways last summer.

It wasn’t long -- eight days to be exact -- before Cassidy landed his next gig with Vegas, leading the Knights to a 51-22-9 record, good for first in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference, in Year 1. The paths the 2019 Bruins and the 2023 Golden Knights had were different, so it was tough for Cassidy to draw comparisons when asked about it after Vegas’ win.

“We had a difficult first series, that would be different. We had to go seven I think with Toronto then we picked up steam from there,” Cassidy told reporters. “I honestly can’t answer that right now. I’m stumped, can I say that? I’m stumped right now.”

The Bruins didn’t make it easy on themselves in the first round against the Maple Leafs in 2019, falling 3-2 in the series before earning back-to-back wins to move on. They took care of the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games before sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes to get to the Stanley Cup Final.

As for the Golden Knights this year, they needed five games to knock the Winnipeg Jets out of playoff contention and six against the Edmonton Oilers. But regardless of how he got there, Cassidy just wants to enjoy the moment and, in true Cassidy fashion, add a little humor to the answers he gives.

“They’re both so satisfying but to compare them I’d have to think back a little bit,” Cassidy told reporters. “I had less of a bald spot, I know that for a fact. Two great locker rooms. That’s usually what happens when you get to the final four. ... I can’t really elaborate though I’d have to think about that.

“I’m gonna enjoy this one just like I did then, to be honest with you,” he added. “I do remember we had a 10 or an 11-day break. I do remember that, which is what Florida’s dealing with right now. This one, the timing might be a little smoother to get up and running again, but that’s all speculation until you get playing.”

The Bruins passed the time during their lengthy wait from the Eastern Conference Final to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 with a scrimmage that sold out TD Garden. They wanted to remain fresh for the final leg of the playoffs, but Brad Marchand ended up hurting his hand and, even though he said he was fine, wasn’t quite the same in the Cup Final. The Bruins had far more things go wrong in the seven-game series, but the injury may have been a sign of bad things to come.

The Golden Knights won’t have to worry about keeping their legs fresh, though, with Game 1 against the Panthers set for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET as Cassidy looks to finally get the one thing he’s wanted since becoming a head coach: Getting his name on the Cup.