Not feeling so Blue in defeat
B’s coach Cassidy reflects on coaching all-stars
ST. LOUIS — The last time Bruce Cassidy suffered a defeat in St. Louis, the aftermath had a much different tone.
That came in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, and the game shifted momentum of the series in the Blues’ direction. They also won Game 5 and forced the Bruins to play catchup until their ultimate defeat in Game 7 in Boston.
This time around, the loss didn’t sting nearly as much.
“Runner-up, bridesmaid again in St. Louis,” said Cassidy. “Oh well, what are you gonna do?”
Cassidy’s Atlantic Division all-stars fell in the final to the Pacific despite Bruins winger David Pastrnak being awarded the event’s MVP on Saturday night, but Cassidy’s postgame presser featured plenty more laughs than it did after Game 4 in the same setting.
Instead of thoughts on the loss, falling behind in the series, and injuries, Cassidy touched on coaching divisional rivals, Pastrnak’s captaincy, and swear words.
“I did see some of it,” Cassidy said of Green Day’s now infamous performance. “I heard a lot of F-bombs too. I was like, ‘Is this ok?’ But good entertainment. I thought the first band was good, too.”
A uniqueness for all-star coaches is being behind the bench full of players against whom they usually have to scheme. Since the Atlantic goalies played so well in the first game against Metropolitan, that left Cassidy cheering on Lightning goalie
Andrei Vasilevskiy and Maple Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen.
It was a weird moment. “I don’t like to see the Tampa and Toronto goalies get hot, I’m not gonna lie,” Cassidy joked. “Good for them, this is a tough environment for any goalie, it’s just odd-man rush after oddman rush. I think they all gotta work (for it).”
Coaching your rivals is just one fun element, but Cassidy was also ready to lean into some of the storylines, like the Tkachuk brothers playing against each other. Cassidy was coaching Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk, and in the final against the Pacific, that left him competing with his brother Matthew of Calgary.
“The first half of the game I couldn’t seem to get them together, I thought it would be great, a good matchup, so not how Brady wanted it to turn out, but at the end of the day a great story,” said Cassidy. “Too bad they didn’t stage something and go at each other. I tried. There was a little bit of contact. I think it pissed off Brady a little bit, but that’s the way it goes.”
Pastrnak stole the attention with his MVP honors, and his flashy play, especially in the first game of the tournament, made him worthy of the award. Cassidy had plenty of fun coaching his own player, but coaching guys he usually sees from afar added a fun twist.
The outcome was still an ‘L,’ though, but it was a much better feeling than the last time he’d stepped foot in that building.