Bergeron Pushed For Golden Knights To Hire Cassidy

This revelation flies in the face of the rumors that Patrice Bergeron was part of a group of Boston Bruins players that spearheaded a revolt against Cassidy. After indicating to Cassidy that his job was safe following a seven-game first round series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney changed his mind on the 2020 Jack Adams Award winner and firing him three weeks later. Almost immediately after that, numerous stories surfaced that a group of players – with Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Brandon Carlo and veteran center David Krejci rumored to be the core of that group – went to Bergeron and Sweeney asking for a ‘new voice’ but nothing was ever confirmed concretely.

What was also never confirmed was that Bergeron got on board with that movement to remove the head coach that led the Bruins to six straight trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Flying in the face of that is that Cassidy has on numerous occasions told the story of how in his first face-to-face meeting with Golden Knights center Jack Eichel after being name head coach of the team last June, asked him to model his game after Bergeron.

“Bergy (Patrice Bergeron) is always the benchmark. We have tried to compare and tell Jack (Eichel) what were are looking for…. he has been excellent and really bought into it. He’s getting pucks back so now he can play with it coming up with lots of speed and it has really helped his game,” Bruce Cassidy told Vegas Hockey Now back in November when discussing that initial one-on-one with Eichel last summer.

“Our center icemen in our system have to cover a lot of ice and be willing to close quickly in the D-zone. [Bergeron] has been one of the best I have ever coached because of his first and second steps.”

Cassidy also compared Stone to Bergeron during the 2023 Stanley Cup Final that he and the Golden Knights won in five games this past Tuesday.

From friend of Boston Hockey Now, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN this past Monday:

Cassidy coached one of those centers with the Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron, who has won the Selke a record five times.

“I see Stoney’s stick and ability to read plays and be a step ahead, and that’s where he’s most like Bergeron,” the coach said. “He knows where the puck’s going. He seems to have that sense to put out fires because of that.”

Cassidy noted another similarity between Bergeron and Stone: The limitations in their abilities. “They’re not the fastest guys on the ice,” he said. “I think they’ve played this way their whole life and that’s why it’s second nature.”

With all this information surfacing, one has to wonder did Bergeron really get on board with firing Cassidy, and if not, did Sweeney simply listen to aforementioned group of players to make such a drastic decision?