Bruce Cassidy wants his name on the Cup. The man he replaced is in his way.
Bruce Cassidy, when he was introduced as the Golden Knights’ third coach 11 months ago, said he knew his new job came with pressure and expectations.
Owner Bill Foley’s mantra when the Knights began play was “Cup in six.” It’s now season six. Cassidy didn’t care.
“I want my name on the Stanley Cup,” he said. “I believe this team has the ability to do that.”
All he’s done since is put the team eight wins from that goal. The 57-year-old has played a leading role in the Knights’ resurgence from missing the playoffs to reaching the NHL semifinals for the fourth time. The only thing standing in his way of the Stanley Cup Final is the man he replaced.
Cassidy’s predecessor, Pete DeBoer, will lead the Dallas Stars against the Knights when the Western Conference Final begins Friday at T-Mobile Arena. The two coaches — both All Stars this season — have proven perfect fits in their new surroundings.
But only one can advance one step further.
“The only thing I can guarantee you is at the end of this in two weeks, one of Bruce or I is going to get too much credit for winning, and one of us is going to get too much blame for losing,” DeBoer said. “You get to this point with the final four, the margins are razor thin. Both teams are prepared, well coached, have a game plan. The players decide this.”
New sheriff
Left wing Ivan Barbashev received a scouting report on his new coach when he was traded to the Knights by former teammate Torey Krug, who played under Cassidy for four seasons.
The primary message? “Really smart,” Barbashev said.
Cassidy’s IQ and attention to detail have been evident from his first training camp practice in September. He overhauled the Knights’ defensive coverage, installing a zone structure designed to limit shots from high-danger areas of the ice. He also gave the team more freedom once it got into the offensive zone.
The Knights took to their new style fast. Their 51 wins in the regular season matched the franchise record. Their 111 points were a record.
“Right away, everybody bought in,” left wing Brett Howden said. “I think that’s sometimes hard for a team if they’re changing systems. I feel like everybody got a grasp of it early on, and I thought the start of the year we did really well in getting big points when we needed them.”
Cassidy’s influence got the Knights through what otherwise could have been stumbling blocks in their season.
Captain Mark Stone missed 39 games with a back injury that required surgery. Defensemen Zach Whitecloud and Shea Theodore were out for 23 and 27 games, respectively. The Knights started a team record five goaltenders.
They kept winning anyway. Cassidy sometimes pushes players hard, but he gets results. His teams are 296-130-55 in the past seven years.
“Bruce does a really good job of keeping people accountable and yet doing it in a way that is respectful, and players know where he’s coming from and understand it’s about the team, it’s about winning,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “I think that’s really showed itself over the course of the year.”
New home
The Stars’ 2022 offseason began May 16, one day after a Game 7 loss to the Calgary Flames. DeBoer became available that same date.
The 54-year-old was fired by the Knights after 2½ seasons that included a 98-50-12 record and two trips to the NHL semifinals. He wasn’t out of work long. Dallas hired him June 22.
DeBoer, as he has in his four previous NHL stops, immediately brought success to his new club. He’s taken his past four teams to at least the conference finals in his first year, including the Knights. No one else in NHL history had done that.
Only Scotty Bowman has taken five teams to a semifinal series.
DeBoer’s experience, communication skills and sharp hockey mind helped the Stars tally 10 more points this season than in 2021-22. The team scored 48 more goals and allowed 29 fewer. Dallas’ power play improved from 11th to fifth under former Knights assistant Steve Spott.
“The biggest thing I’ve noticed from Pete is kind of the calming presence,” Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger said. “He’s never once panicked. He’s believed in our group no matter what’s happened. When it starts at the top like that with your head coach, it just trickles down to your whole group. There’s a reason we’ve had so much success, and it starts with him.”
DeBoer’s steady hand has steered the Stars through two rounds in the playoffs. Dallas defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-1 in Game 7 on Monday to earn the right to play the Knights. DeBoer improved to 7-0 in Game 7s, the most wins in NHL history without a loss and the second-most behind Darryl Sutter’s eight.
“Unfortunately he got fired, it’s a tough business, but it was a gain for us,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “We’ve never looked back since.”
Chess match
DeBoer called this matchup “ironic.”
He also was involved in the Knights’ first four trips to the postseason, coaching with them twice and against them twice with the San Jose Sharks. He was even behind the Knights’ bench when they lost in five games to Dallas in the 2020 Western Conference Final.
“It’s going to be weird a little bit, right?” center Nicolas Roy said.
DeBoer does have some inside information on the Knights from his tenure, though that knowledge isn’t likely to play a significant role. His former players know what he values, too. The Knights also have former Dallas assistant John Stevens on their bench to feed them stuff about the Stars.
It will ultimately come down to which side can execute the best. That doesn’t mean both coaches won’t make adjustments to give their side a leg up.
Cassidy and DeBoer have proven their ability many times over. They’ve developed deep teams that can defend and use all four forward lines. They’re just two of the best.
Now, they’re the fourth pair of first-year coaches to meet in a semifinal in the past 25 years. One will get the chance to be the 26th first-year coach to lift the Stanley Cup.
It’s a matchup that has others excited. Longtime coach Bruce Boudreau, an NHL Network analyst during the playoffs, can’t wait to see how it plays out.
“It’s going to be a real battle between them to see which guy one-ups the other guy,” said Boudreau, who has 617 wins in 16 NHL seasons. “Who can get the better matchups if they are so inclined, and who wins in that respect.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.