On this episode of Chirping Zebras, Mark Riley, Gino Binda Jr., and Josh Dolan are joined by Bruce Cassidy — former Boston Bruins head coach, current bench boss of the Vegas Golden Knights, and an actual Stanley Cup–winning beauty.
Cassidy comes on and does not waste time. We’re talking room-building, standard-setting, and how you coach grown men without treating ’em like peewee players. He breaks down the jump from the AHL bus league to the NHL pressure cooker, what it really takes to win a Cup, and why communication beats screaming (most of the time).
The boys get into: Winning a Stanley Cup and why it’s chaos you can’t prepare for Coaching in Boston vs. Vegas (media animals vs. desert vibes) Adapting to today’s players without losing the room Mentors, leadership, and knowing when to let guys be guys Olympic prep and managing egos the size of Zambonis Talking to officials without getting tossed in 30 seconds And yeah — there are bench stories, laughs, and a few moments where you just sit back and go, “Yeah… that’s a coach.” If you like real hockey talk, no fluff, no buzzwords, just guys who’ve been around the game forever — this one’s a wagon.