Former Ice Skipper to Make NHL Coaching Debut
Published on June 25, 2002 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Indianapolis Ice News Release
Former Indianapolis Ice Head Coach and all-star defenseman Bruce Cassidy was announced this afternoon as the new head coach of the NHL's Washington Capitals. He takes over a Capitals squad that missed the playoffs this past season after posting a regular season mark of 36-33-11-2.
Cassidy, 37, will be making his NHL Head Coaching debut after fine tuning his skills the past six seasons in the AHL, IHL and ECHL. He was the American Hockey League's Coach of the Year last season after guiding the Grands Rapids Griffins to a 42-27-11 regular season record and a second-place finish in the league's Western Conference. His two-year stay with the Griffins proved fruitful as the clubs' achievements included an overall regular season record of 95-49-18, a 12-10 playoff mark and a trip to the 2001 Turner Cup Finals where the club was runner-up to the Chicago Wolves.
Before his success in western Michigan, Cassidy got his start in coaching during the 1996-97 season when he took over midseason for Ice Owner Horn Chen's team in Jacksonville (ECHL). Following two years in Jacksonville, Chen brought Cassidy back to Indianapolis where he became the franchise's eighth head coach and took a young and overachieving Ice squad to the second round of the IHL playoffs for the first time since the team's championship season of 1989-90.
Before breaking into coaching, Cassidy was one of the more popular players to ever don an Ice uniform. He was an assistant captain on the 1990 Turner Cup Championship Team and his playoff numbers from that year are tops in the Ice record books for defensemen (IHL). He was also selected as a First Team IHL Post-Season All Star for that championship campaign.
In his three plus years as a player with Indianapolis, the blueliner compiled 97 points (18G, 79A) in 170 games which ranks third among all IHL Ice defensemen. He was originally the Chicago Blackhawks' first choice (18th overall) in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft and played 12 seasons of professional hockey. He spent parts of six seasons with the Blackhawks and registered 17 points (4G, 13A) in 36 games.
The Ottawa, Ontario native also becomes the third former Ice Head Coach to earn the same position in the NHL. Darryl Sutter is currently head coach of the San Jose Sharks, while Duane Sutter spent time as head coach of the Florida Panthers.
Central Hockey League Stories from June 25, 2002
- Hidalgo Breaks Ground - CHL
- Former Ice Skipper to Make NHL Coaching Debut - Indianapolis Ice
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