NHL News: Another coaching ‘voice’ bites the dust

2 years ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey

Well...guess we’re all going home. | Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images


Bruce Cassidy becomes the second or third successful coach of the summer whose voice has grown too old. Equally jarring as Lou Lamoriello deciding soon after season’s end that the New York Islanders required a “new voice” that did not belong to Barry Trotz: Don Sweeney “taking some time to fully digest everything” and deciding the Boston Bruins needed to replace Bruce Cassidy.
The Bruins coach was fired Monday after six playoff seasons including the just-concluded 51-26-5 season.
It follows Trotz’s firing a month ago and Peter DeBoer’s firing three weeks ago among the offseason’s “Wow, that guy’s been pretty good for them and yet...” moves. The Knights’ firing of DeBoer was less surprising #BecauseVegas and because DeBoer kind of comes off as a guy people would enjoy firing.
An Islanders Thing
(Yester)day in Isles History: The expansion draft in 1972. Billy Smith, Ed Westfall, Terry Crisp, Gerry Hart and a bunch of other guys. [Isles]
NHL Headlines

Oh, the other big news from Monday was the Colorado Avalanche advancing to the Stanley Cup final, but that was to be expected. The Edmonton Oilers at least made it interesting, falling overtime, 6-5. [NHL]
The Oilers blew a 4-2 lead in the third period, came back to tie it at 5-5, but an amazing Connor McDavid season is now over. [C&B]
The most hilarious headline for the Oilers being swept? It “extends Canada’s Stanley Cup drought.” The Canadian reporters and editors who care about that vs. the number of fans who do has to be an absurdly lopsided ratio. [Sportsnet]
Ryan Strome, who left Game 3, is expected to play Game 4 for the Lightning’s opponent. [NHL]
But Nazem Kadri is probably out for the playoffs after needing thumb surgery. [TSN]
Cam Neely has the utmost confidence that Don Sweeney will find the right coach. [NHL]
Firing reaction: The Bruins are at a self-inflicted crossroads, but coaching was not the problem. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
But Bruins management knows the roster will shift younger, and such players apparently had the most difficulty with Cassidy. [Athletic]
It’s really stupid that this has to be news, but the Avalanche touched the conference title trophy. You know, because they won it, and earned it, and should hold it proudly. [NHL]
Kyle Connor won the Lady Byng. [NHL]
Kevin Weekes had the choice of extending his career in Europe or going into broadcasting, and “a dred on the beach in Barbados” encouraged him to choose TV. [Athletic]
Rangers escapee Vitali Kravtsov has rejected an extension in the KHL, perhaps because suddenly playing in Russia isn’t quite as appealing. [TSN]
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