Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy placed in COVID-19 protocol
Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, the team announced Tuesday.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Cassidy has mild symptoms and his family is being tested for the coronavirus.
“Just to keep staying on top of it like we are with all of our own situations within the locker room, and health is what’s most important in this," Sweeney said.
Cassidy, who is vaccinated, is the first Bruins player or coach to enter the league's COVID-19 protocol this season.
The 56-year-old has been the team’s head coach since the 2016-17 season. The team is 205-89-41 under his guidance for the regular season, and 33-33 in the postseason.
Sweeney said Bruins assistant coach Joe Sacco will take over primary duties on the bench while Cassidy is out with fellow assistant Kevin Dean remaining in his role.
Boston's third assistant coach, Chris Kelly, had already been placed in COVID-19 protocol and will remain sidelined until this weekend, according to Sweeney.
Sweeney also said the Bruins' AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, are in lockdown because they are in a lockdown situation following a significant COVID-19 outbreak of their own.
Marchand suspended
In addition to Cassidy, Boston will also be without its top scorer for its next few games, as Brad Marchand was suspended for three games by the NHL on Monday for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson just over a minute into the Bruins' 3-2 win against the Canucks on Sunday.
Marchand has a team-high nine goals and 15 assists (24 points) for the B's this season. The 33-year-old has been suspended six times in his 822-game NHL career, all with Boston, including a previous suspension for slew-footing.
While speaking with the media on Tuesday, Marchand said he disagrees with the league's decision to suspend him but noted that his reputation means that he does get the benefit of the doubt in these situations.
"I've tried extremely hard over the last four years to get away from the reputation I've had. I think I've done an extremely good job at that," Marchand said. "I know early on (in my career) I crossed over the line a lot of times, and it's unfortunate that that continues to haunt me."
After the Red Wings game at TD Garden, the Bruins play on the road Thursday against the Nashville Predators before returning to Boston to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.