When it comes to the Golden Knights, you can read pretty much any article on this site, watch any game on TV, listen to any discussion on the radio, and you are bound to hear at least some mention of Bruce Cassidy’s devotion to defending.
Cassidy came into Vegas with a new zone defense style that helped make his Boston Bruins teams some of the stingiest in the league over the past five years. That system is expected to help turn a Golden Knights team that finished 14th in the league in goals against last year to a higher level.
However, the guy who used to stand behind the bench is sick of hearing this narrative, and he probably has a point.
There’s been similar stuff that’s been said about me coming out of Vegas. All of a sudden Bruce Cassidy is in there and they are defending. We won the Jennings and the Vezina the year before. –Pete DeBoer on Jeff Marek Show
If you take the entirety of each coach’s tenure at their previous stop, they were incredibly close in how many goals their teams allowed. DeBoer’s Golden Knights allowed 524 goals in 199 games while Cassidy’s Bruins let in 1,220 in 473. That’s 2.63 per game for DeBoer and 2.58 per game for Cassidy. In other words, over the course of an 82-game season, DeBoer’s teams allowed 4 goals more than Cassidy’s.
And, DeBoer was actually better in the playoffs than his Vegas successor. Cassidy’s system declined in the postseason where DeBoer’s improved. DeBoer’s VGK teams went from 2.71 goals allowed per game in the regular season to 2.31 in the playoffs. Cassidy on the other hand saw an increase from 2.56 in the regular season to 2.68 in the playoffs.
You hit a little bit of a sore spot with me on how coaches get boxed into outside opinions. Every coach that’s coaching at this level is doing what they can to win that night to get into the playoffs. –DeBoer on Jeff Marek Show
Admittedly, we here at SinBin are part of the problem DeBoer is shedding light on. Any time a coaching change occurs, fans and media tend to focus on what the new coach does well and then see how it translates to the team. Yes, Cassidy is an excellent defensive coach, and the expectation for the Golden Knights should be high, but that doesn’t mean DeBoer wasn’t.
Sometimes it’s just a different voice. Sometimes it’s someone coming in with fresh perspective. That stuff bothers me a little bit because it’s an easy out and an easy headline for people to run with and I don’t think it’s fair to the coaching fraternity. –DeBoer on Jeff Marek Show
It’s early in the season, and the Golden Knights have had some good moments and some bad to this point defensively. They’ve allowed just eight goals in four games, but have given up far more high-danger chances than they’d prefer.
As the season goes on, everyone will continue to monitor the success of VGK’s defense, but in fairness to DeBoer, we shouldn’t forget what it looked like in the past.
In fact, when DeBoer came in, the narrative was incredibly similar. He was the defensive guru and Gerard Gallant was not. He probably didn’t mind it as much back then though.
Blitz
Peter inherited the better team and is still crying about Vegas months later. The stars have something special. Too bad in two/three years they will be shit looking for a coach. Just history re-Pete-ing itself.
Win or lose I would take Cassidy any day over Peter, because Cassidy isn’t a liar. He tells it like it is and it is awesome as a fan to be part of. So sick of Peter and his bull shit dry press conferences of obfuscation, calculated words, and flat out mistruths.
War Cassidy!
Jason N.
Stop worrying about your ex and focus on your new wife.
Frank Rizzo
The people making comments above me prefer to be called they/them
Jake
Cassidy’s level of competition was quite higher at Boston.
Vegas feeding on Arizona, Vancouver, Anaheim, LA.
Sorvino
I think Pete DeBoer is a very good coach. He will always have NHL employment.
Bruce Cassidy is a breath of fresh air though. I do like his honesty and I am intrigued at what he can do with Jack Eichel. I’m not talking about Eichel‘s offensive production but him hopefully becoming a 2-way forward à la Patrice Bergeron
hdbiker7851
Sorvino – the probability of Eichel become anywhere close to Patrice Bergeron is slim to none. The comparisons written about Eichel, and McDavid are a joke as well as Eichel couldn’t tie McDavid’s skates. To think they are paying Eichel 10 grand a year is insane. Talk about a negative ROI.
Vic
Who cares about prior coaches? The big question is where is Arnold Rothstein?
Arnold Rothstein
Team Arnold is still here Vic !! Who cares about ex’s, as Satchel Paige once said “don’t look back , something might be gaining on you”
Good point !
Too many people here complaining about what they “thought” they heard, when Coach’s never said it in first place !!
Looking at pattern analysis on how teams do flying east to west and another one
on how teams do in next game after playing Seattle.
Arnold Rothstein
and the new sweaters suck big time, since when did the Canuck “look” become cool in NHL ?
karl
the announcers mentioned this last game… and you have also said similar. cassidy inspires creativity with his star players and deboer (also gallant) puts them in a box. you could see karlsson visably frustrated when he had to dump the pucks with gallant… and again when he had to prioritize getting off the ice with deboer.
you cant have a good power play or penalty kill without creativity. thats probably why deboer sucked at it. thats also why vegas was so predictable and coudlnt get anythign done without puck luck.
also, deboer can hardly take credit for the vezna. having your whole team injuring themselves blocking shots in front of 2 rockstar goalies is hardly worthy of a pat on the back. plus, we all know hes 100% to blame for the whole “goalie situation”
SNIX
DeBoerr’s downfall was his insistence over the years to play Lehner despite Fleury being better.
Last year he couldn’t blame Fleury, it was all Lehner and guess who got fired.
It was Fleury that won the Vezina; which is why we won the Jennings Trophy.
SNIX
DeBoerr’s downfall was his insistence over the years to play Lehner despite Fleury being better.
Last year he couldn’t blame Fleury, it was all Lehner and guess who got fired.
It was Fleury that won the Vezina; which is why we won the Jennings Trophy.
Kevin L
This DeBoer character (not too familiar) seems bitter.. and a major whiner. Like another more or less wrote, ‘forget about your ex- and pay attention to your new bitch’.
Anyway, LVGK’s have a new fan.
I will never abandon my Bruins (fan since 1962), and have the patience to endure while Sweeney & Neely fade away. I’ll be watching Cassidy’s progress, and replays of his games.
Bruce Cassidy was treated like dogshit in the way Sweeney & Neely mishandled his removal; almost to the point of public humiliation. However intelligent Bruins fans recognized the debauchery and any humiliation is/was served to the B’s front office. Fucking idiots.
Kevin L
This DeBoer character (not too familiar) seems bitter.. and a major whiner. Like another more or less wrote, ‘forget about your ex- and pay attention to your new bitch’.
Anyway, LVGK’s have a new fan.
I will never abandon my Bruins (fan since 1962), and have the patience to endure while Sweeney & Neely fade away. I’ll be watching Cassidy’s progress, and replays of his games.
Bruce Cassidy was treated like dogshit in the way Sweeney & Neely mishandled his removal; almost to the point of public humiliation. However intelligent Bruins fans recognized the debauchery and any humiliation is/was served to the B’s front office.