Bruins fire head coach Cassidy after playoff exit

The Boston Bruins have fired head coach Bruce Cassidy, the team announced on Monday.

The Boston Bruins have relieved Bruce Cassidy of his duties as head coach: https://t.co/q8AE1DmjkU

The 57-year-old had been head coach of the Bruins since February 7, 2017.

"Today I informed Bruce Cassidy that I was making a head coaching change," general manager Don Sweeney said in a release. "After 14 years working with Bruce, this was an extremely difficult decision. I want to thank and acknowledge Bruce for all his work and success with the Bruins organization. His head coaching record for the Bruins is impressive, and we are appreciative of Bruce both professionally and personally. After taking some time to fully digest everything, I felt that the direction of our team for both this season and beyond would benefit from a new voice. I want to wish Bruce, Julie, Shannon and Cole much success as a family and with their future opportunities."

The Bruins posted a 51-26-5 record during the 2021-22 season, finishing in the first Wild Card playoff position. They were eliminated in seven games by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs.

Cassidy coached in 399 regular season games for the Bruins over six seasons and departs with a 245-108-46 mark.

The Ottawa native led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018-19 where they were beaten by the St. Louis Blues in a seven-game series.

The team says it will began the search for a replacement immediately.