BOSTON – The Boston Bruins officially named Bruce Cassidy as their head coach Wednesday morning, removing the interim tag from his title after he led the team to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
Cassidy took over for former head coach Claude Julien, who was fired in February. He led the Bruins to their first playoff berth since 2013-2014 by going 18-8-1 down the stretch of the regular season.
The Bruins were eliminated in six games by the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This is Cassidy’s second head coaching job in the NHL, having previously served as the head coach of the Washington Capitals from 2002-2004. He also coached the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League for five seasons before joining the Boston staff as an assistant this season. He was a Bruins assistant coach from 2008-2011.
Cassidy, 51, was an NHL defensemen for five seasons from 1985-1990.
He is the 28th head coach in franchise history.
By MATT McCARTHY, CapeCod.com NewsCenter