‘It can really bring a team together’: Bruce Cassidy assesses Bruins’ successful road trip
"I think with a lot of newness in our team, and not a lot of road trips, this is one we needed as a group."
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said the team’s 5-1 road trip – capped by a thrilling 5-4 shootout win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday – should allow many players on the roster to “feel good about themselves.”
“I thought we played good, solid hockey in every city we visited,” Cassidy told reporters. “How it sets us up, that’s always a tough one to say, but I’d like to think our guys would get some confidence.”
He called it a “real good trip” and noted that the only one that “got away” was Anaheim. The Bruins also didn’t steal any games, he said, and they earned every win they notched. He was pleased with their resilience against the Blue Jackets, to respond after surrendering a late goal and find a way to prevail.
Cassidy said the road trip was helpful off the ice, too, for the sake of team bonding and building camaraderie.
“At the end of the day, I think with a lot of newness in our team, and not a lot of road trips, this is one we needed as a group,” Cassidy said. “Then when you’re winning, everyone’s feeling good about themselves and you’re together. All those things put together, I think yes, it can really bring a team together.”
Cassidy said the players enjoyed time together in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Pairing that type of bonding with a steady stream of wins could pay dividends in the months to come, yet hockey is a fickle sport where it can be difficult to sustain momentum.
“I guess we’ll see down the stretch whether it’s something we look back on and say that was a point of the year we really came together as a team and built our identity,” Cassidy said.
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