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Bruins’ coach named assistant for Team Canada at 2022 Winter Olympics

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 31: Head coach Bruce Cassidy of the Boston Bruins handles the bench during the second period against the New York Islanders in Game Two of the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on May 31, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 31: Head coach Bruce Cassidy of the Boston Bruins handles the bench during the second period against the New York Islanders in Game Two of the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on May 31, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

For the first time in his coaching career, Boston Bruins‘ coach Bruce Cassidy will be on the bench at the international level.

Hockey Canada announced that Bruce Cassidy will be an assistant coach for Team Canada at the upcoming 2022 Beijing Olympics in February.

Bruins’ Bruce Cassidy will be joining elite coaching company on Team Canada.

Cassidy will be coaching alongside Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper, who was named head coach of Team Canada, as well as New York Islanders’ Barry Trotz and Vegas Golden Knights’ Peter DeBoer as assistants.

It’s quite the impressive coaching staff. Cooper has two Stanley Cups and Trotz has one with Washington. Cassidy has a Jack Adams, and Trotz has two. Both DeBoer and Cassidy have brought teams to the Stanley Cup Finals.

All four are natives of Canada and when looking at the top teams in the league, you consider these four coaches to be at the helm of them. Three of these four coaches were in this year’s semifinals, with Cassidy being the lone exception who lost to Trotz.

The Bruins also had a representative on the Team Canada bench the last time the NHL sent their athletes to the Olympic Games. Claude Julien was selected in 2014 to be a part of Mike Babcock’s coaching staff for Team Canada, who won the gold medal.

A return to the Olympics was agreed upon during the NHL and NHLPA’s most recent CBA, after missing the 2018 Olympics. NHL also has already built an upcoming 2021-22 schedule with an Olympics break in it.

However, it’s not 100% confirmed that the NHL will be sending its players and coaches over to Beijing in February. Most recently, the NHL and the IOC were unable to come to terms on a media rights agreement. You add in the question of COVID and there is still a lot up in the air.

But the planning and foundations are being put in place for the top players and coaches in the world to be competing on the biggest international stage for sports. Here’s to hoping that the NHL and the IOC can come to an agreement so we can see Cassidy and other Bruins at the Olympic Games.

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