(Photo Credit: Boston Bruins via 13 Photography)


By: Evan Michael | Follow me on Twitter @00EvanMichael
I think Bruins bench boss Bruce Cassidy is living his Boston Wonder Years right now.
And it doesn’t take a wunderkind to realize he enjoys “getting by with a little help” from his friends! Just two weeks after visiting legendary Patriots coach Bill Belichick and striking up quite the bond (as this Black N’ Gold blogger noticed), Cassidy was at it again. This time talking shop — and Jimmy Fund philanthropy — with not only a phoned-in Belichick of the Pats (that’s a literal meaning as it could never happen figuratively to the GOAT of the sidelines) but also fellow NESN studio guests Alex Cora & Brad Stevens of the Red Sox and Celtics, respectively.

Sure, this was a brilliant way to raise awareness and money for a cause as connected to Boston sports and New England charity as clam chowder and candlepin bowling. But it was also a once-in-a-blue-moon glimpse into the minds of perhaps the best known (and respected) foursome of coaching talent this city by the Charles has ever seen — no disrespect to the Auerbach/Holovak/Sinden/Williams years of the 60’s and early 70’s! And to quote the man who represents the B’s with plenty of aplomb and on-air honesty:

“It’s great to have some banter [between the coaches, media & fanbase]. Let’s just keep it to the performance on the ice.”

That certainly sounds a bit Belichick-ian don’t you think!? And with on-ice performance for the B’s only a month away now, Cassidy was sure to make the most of this opportunity and lean on both Cora & Stevens for further insight into how the Bruins can best bounce back in ’19-’20:

“You coach discipline, you can hold people accountable with their discipline. Talent levels change from team to team…(but) we’re very lucky. I’m one of the most fortunate guys in the National Hockey League to coach true pros like [Patrice] Bergeron and [Zdeno] Chara.”

I’m confident they’d echo those same sentiments back on “Butch”… the coach who took them from a playoff outsider just two-and-a-half years ago all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals this past Spring and who plans to take it even further (JUST ONE MORE WIN), ideally as soon as this upcoming season:

“We learned a lot going into our playoffs last year from all three coaches in town. Hopefully down the road as the Bruins we can pay them back.”

Boston Coaches(Photo Credit: NESN)

Payback would certainly be sweet for the B’s, there’s no doubt about that. And as a certain TV theme song laments, “do you need anybody” for that to happen? Well, I think Bruce Cassidy now has the answer in a familiar Boston Coach’s Corner that certainly doesn’t lack expert insight, advice… or wonder.

 Check out the Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 142 that we recorded on 8-25-19 below! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.