A desert-tanned Bruce Cassidy arrived in the Glover Elementary School parking lot in Milton with his prized (albeit temporary) possession – the Stanley Cup – raised over his head and the Bruins’ goal song “Kernkraft 400” playing over the loudspeakers.
“I didn’t script that,” said a laughing Cassidy afterwards.
No, Cassidy did not come to Milton on Thursday to rub salt in the wounds of the B’s or their fans – there were more Bruin jerseys in the crowd than those of Cassidy’s new team, the Vegas Golden Knights – but rather to help out friends who are kicking off their new charity. And, of course, talk a little hockey.
The charity is the newly formed foundation in the name of Cassidy Murray, who was killed in a water-tubing accident at the age of 13 in March 2022 and who was a close friend of Bruce Cassidy’s daughter Shannon.
As they continue to work through their own grief, the Murrays have started the nonprofit dedicated to expanding “educational opportunities and supporting the mental health needs of individuals navigating unthinkable tragedy.”
“(Bruce Cassidy’s wife) Julie and Linda (Murray) talked about doing something and I thought ‘What if I brought the Cup here and raised some awareness and people are able to donate to the Foundation, then we could get it going’,” said the former B’s coach, who said that Cassidy Murray, Shannon and another friend Mary Murray became a tight-knit trio at BB&N through gymnastics and hockey. “Obviously it was difficult for the Murray family, but the girls around her, too. They’ve had to go through an adjustment period, so it was tough on Shannon and Mary.”
While Bruce Cassidy now makes his living in Las Vegas, this area will always be a part of him and his family. They still summer on Cape Cod, where they were headed for another Cup event later in the day. And though he won the Cup with the Golden Knights just a year after being fired by the B’s, sticking it to his former team was hardly chief among his emotions.
“It was sweet because I’m 58 and I’ve been trying to win the Cup since I turned pro, so that’s what made it the most sweet,” said Cassidy. “You’ve got your family and it was at home. Vegas hasn’t been around for a long time but it’s a very, very solid hockey (environment), and I didn’t know that going out there, how passionate they’d be. And, yeah, to have it happen after you get let go, it’s a good feeling. But that’s down the list.”
Cassidy was oh-so-close to achieving his ultimate hockey goal in 2019 when his B’s went to a Game 7 in the Cup finals but suffered a painful defeat. Winning now goes a long way toward removing that sting for him.
“It heals the scar a little bit,” said Cassidy. “It’ll never go away because you can’t get that back. But now at least, you’re in the club. I would have liked to have done it here. I’ve said that repeatedly, that this was my team growing up as a kid. I’ve loved the Bruins my whole life and I would have loved to do it here, but it didn’t work out that way.”
The B’s and Golden Knights had played two great games against each other early in the season and the notion that the two teams would meet in the Cup final was not far-fetched in the least. That probably had better odds than what actually happened, the 65-win B’s team getting knocked out in the first round.
“I think it shocked everybody, right? It was a historic season and you kind of expected a long run. But it’s happened before. In the playoffs, once you’re in, anyone can win, especially once you get to a Game 7,” said Cassidy.
The B’s are currently waiting to hear word on whether captain Patrice Bergeron will retire or return for another year. Cassidy’s thoughts on Bergeron were not surprising.
“Outstanding person, great professional, great captain and assistant captain. He’s a winner,” said Cassidy. “To me, he’s a winner and whatever he decides to do, he’ll always be a guy that Boston sports fans will cherish the 19 years of watching him.”
And if Bergeron does decide to retire, who would make a good choice for the next captain?
“That’s not for me to decide,” said Cassidy. “I think there’s a lot of guys. The next core is coming. You’ve got (David Pastrnak), you’ve got Charlie McAvoy, you’ve got a number of guys. And you’ve got Brad Marchand, who’s probably part of the Bergy core, but he’s a guy that’s led on the ice and has really grown his game and his leadership. They’ve got a lot of choices there.”
But as Cassidy said, that’s none of his concern now. He’s got a summer to enjoy landing the hockey Holy Grail. And he’s found that some diehard Bruins’ fans are happy for him.
“You can cheer for a person and a team at the same time and I think that’s what a lot of people have done around here,” said Cassidy. “I know they want their Bruins to win. I don’t blame them. They’re lifelong Bruins fans. I tried to do it. That’s what I was here for. But I’ve had a lot of people who’ve reached out that are just happy for the Cassidy family.”
To donate to the Cassidy Murray Foundation, go to info@cassidymurrayfoundation.org.