NHL not considering fining Bruce Cassidy for postgame comments
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 29: Head coach Bruce Cassidy of the Boston Bruins speaks to the media following his teams 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game Two of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on May 29, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The National Hockey League is not considering fining Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy for teeing off on the officiating following Boston’s Game 5 loss to the Blues, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.
The decision to not fine Cassidy seems like a definite ‘make nice’ move on the part of the NHL, especially given the way Cassidy really let the on-ice crew (and league as a whole) have it following the defeat.
“Well, [the hits to the head] are the ones they want to get out of the game, correct? That’s what I hear a lot about,” Cassidy began. “Clearly they missed a couple. It’s a fast game. I sat here two days ago and said I believe these officials are at this level because they’ve earned the right to be here and you should be getting the best. But the narrative changed after Game 3. There was a complaint or whatever put forth by the opposition and it just seems to have changed everything.”
The insinuation from Cassidy there is that the public complaints from Craig Berube following Game 3 has changed the tone of this series, with the Blues seemingly allowed to get away with more headshots and physical play, while the Bruins have suddenly been unable to draw the penalties they did in the first three games of the series.
Cassidy had no shortage of calls to look back on when it came to Game 5, but seemed especially pissed with the non-call that saw Noel Acciari hauled down by the Blues’ Tyler Bozak en route to the game-winning goal from David Perron.
“The non-call on Acciari… [Tyler Bozak] is on his way to the box. It’s right in front of the official. It’s a slewfoot,” Cassidy, who told the referees that they ‘missed an effing call’ after the goal, said. “Our guy’s gone. The spotter took him out of the game for a possible concussion. I mean, it’s blatant. Big effect on the game.”
Cassidy also referenced what’s been a horrendous postseason for the league’s officiating as a whole, with the Acciari-Bozak non-call joining a list that’s already featured big misses in two Game 7 contests (the Cody Eakin major on Joe Pavelski in Game 7 between the Knights and Sharks and the offsides in Game 7 between the Avs and Sharks) as well as a missed handpass on an overtime goal in the Western Conference Finals.
“I’m a fan of the game. It’s the National Hockey League getting a black eye with their officiating this playoffs,” Cassidy continued. “And here’s another one that’s gonna be talked about. I thought it was a great hockey game. That call probably — I mean there’s time — but it really made it difficult for us to get the win [Thursday].
“I’m disappointed. It was egregious.”
The Bruins will look to keep their season alive on Sunday night in a must-win Game 6 in St. Louis.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has also been a voting member of the Boston Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
