Cassidy, Berube overcome early coaching struggles to meet in Stanley Cup Final

Two roads diverged in a crazy world of hockey and brought coaches Bruce Cassidy and Craig Berube to the Stanley Cup Final.

Cassidy guided the Boston Bruins to this point a decade and a half after a disastrous tenure in Washington. Berube took the St. Louis Blues from worst to their first final since 1970 several years after a short stint in Philadelphia.

“The guys that are good in this business, they learn a lot along the way and just continue to improve,” said Vegas general manager George McPhee, who hired Cassidy with Washington in 2002, had Berube as a player and then interviewed him for the Capitals’ coaching job in 2013.

Cassidy’s former Capitals players couldn’t be sure he deserved this after benching respected veteran defenseman Calle Johansson in his last game with the team in 2003. Goaltender Olie Kolzig said Cassidy had “a lack of professionalism on and off the ice” at the time, which ultimately led to his firing 25 games into his second season.

Cassidy rehabbed his reputation with a season as a Chicago Blackhawks assistant, two in junior and then an eight-year run as an assistant and head coach with the Bruins top AHL affiliate in Providence. By the time he got back to an NHL organization with the Bruins, general manager Don Sweeney noticed Cassidy has “evolved a lot” in his confidence, and the growth goes beyond that.

Outside factors — such as Cassidy dealing with a rough divorce — also have adversely affected his time with Washington. Kolzig is glad Cassidy has his life in order, and he and McPhee are thrilled to see him at the summit of hockey.

“Most guys go through what he went through and you’d never hear from them again,” Kolzig said. “Now he’s on the verge of winning a Cup.”

To do so, Cassidy’s Bruins have to go through Berube’s Blues, who responded mightily after he succeeded fired coach Mike Yeo on Nov. 19. Before winning 29 of their final 43 games to become the seventh team since 1967 to make the playoffs from last in the league after New Year’s Day, they lost 11 of Berube’s first 20 games as interim replacement.

Former teammate and close friend Rick Tocchet will never forget Berube’s reaction over a couple postgame beers following a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of his Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 1.

“It wasn’t like, ‘What did I get myself into?’ or ‘We have no chance to win.’ It was like he had a plan,” said Tocchet, who is in his second NHL head-coaching job. “Even though they were hitting rock bottom … he was really decisive what he knew he had to do. I could tell that this guy’s got it handled. It wasn’t like a deer in the headlights look.”

Another former teammate and close friend, Keith Jones, remembers beer and chicken wing nights on the road with Berube and Dale Hunter during their playing days. They would watch and talk about hockey and subconsciously prepare to stay in the game after hanging up their skates.

Jones said Ron Hextall’s worst move as Flyers GM was firing Berube after his first full season because it looked as if he had what it took behind the bench.

“I can’t tell you how impressed I was on his presence behind the bench, his quick eye and understanding which players were going and which were not,” Jones said. “I thought he was terrific in that regard and having a feel for players that had jump in their legs and maybe using them more effectively in that particular game. I thought he was great in just the chess match that goes on with being a head coach. Rarely did I sit upstairs and watch a game and think that he missed something.”