Bruce Cassidy happy to return to Boston with "nice, shiny ring" on his finger

BOSTON -- Getting fired from any job is never easy. Getting fired from a job you performed objectively well for a long time must be much harder. And getting fired as the head coach of a hockey team you grew up rooting for? Well, that's going to sting extra hard.

Yet if there's one way to wash away that pain, it's to go out, find another job, and immediately win a Stanley Cup.

As we know, that's exactly what Bruce Cassidy did, leading the Golden Knights to a championship last season in his first year on the job. After a first-place finish in the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights absolutely buzzed through playoffs, going 16-6 en route to the team winning a Stanley Cup in just its sixth year of existence.

That instant success makes this year's return to Boston a bit easier to make.

"Different. I think last year there was the unknown. Didn't know what would happen. You come back in here, you know, you get let go, so you don't know if you're going to get booed out of the building or a nice hand," a smiling Cassidy said Thursday after Vegas' morning skate. "Anyway, we got that over with. It's nice to come back with a big, nice, shiny ring on your finger, too. That's another -- always a good visit with that."

Cassidy made his first return to Boston last season with the Golden Knights, and he got a bit emotional during the video tribute that played at TD Garden during a stoppage in play.

"That's something I'll get choked up about, obviously, probably in about three seconds," Cassidy said after that Vegas victory in Boston. "I appreciate it. It's that simple. I appreciate it."

And after winning it all, Cassidy spent his day with the Cup back in Massachusetts, honoring the late Cassidy Murray, a family friend who died at age 13 while on a family vacation in Aruba. (Cassidy was wearing a hat for the Cassidy Murray Foundation during Thursday's meeting with the media.) He also took the Cup with his family to a beach on Cape Cod for a photo opportunity.

Cassidy's connection to Boston clearly wasn't severed when the organization fired him. And when he was asked a follow-up question about the satisfaction tied to returning with that ring on his finger, Cassidy reiterated on Thursday just how badly he wanted to deliver a championship to the Bruins.

"Well I wanted to win one here, trust me, more than anybody," Cassidy said. "Didn't work out, so that's our ultimate goal. I think every coach wants to win. So it's just a nice feeling to be able to get it accomplished. It didn't happen here, but it happened there. Sorry it didn't happen in Boston, it happened with Vegas."