Bruce Cassidy bringing Stanley Cup to Milton to honor teen who died in Aruba
BOSTON -- After winning a championship with the Vegas Golden Knights, former Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy will be bringing the Stanley Cup to Massachusetts, and he has a deeply personal reason for doing so.
Cassidy will spend his day with the Cup in Milton, joining the family of Cassidy Murray, who died while on vacation with her parents in Aruba in March 2022. Cassidy will help the family launch the Cassidy Murray Foundation, which seeks to assist families who are "touched by tragic loss, offering solace and support on their journey of healing."
Cassidy Murray was friends with Coach Cassidy's daughter, Shannon Cassidy, as the two were classmates at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge. Murray died in a tragic tubing accident, and her parents have been fighting for Aruba to enact reforms on recreational boating safety in the island nation.
"Bruce and Julie Cassidy have been with us since our world turned upside down," Dave Murray, Cassidy Murray's father, said. "They have sat in our home, invited us into theirs, and given us strength and encouragement, especially as we ventured out into the public eye to urge Aruba to make critical changes to water safety laws so that no family ever again experiences our pain."
One of the Cassidy Murray Foundation's goals will be to increase access to mental health resources to families who are grieving.
"We learned instantly the unimaginable depth of pain that washes over you when a loved one is taken so senselessly," Linda Murray, Cassidy Murray's mother, said. "We grieve every hour of every day. But we are able to find some degree of strength to stand and honor our daughter's legacy because of a wonderful grief therapist who came into our lives in those first dark days."
Bruce Cassidy's visit to Milton -- with the most famous trophy in all of sports in tow -- will shine a spotlight on the launch of this foundation.
"Julie and I marvel at Linda and Dave's commitment to helping others despite a crushing grief that few of us can even imagine," Bruce Cassidy said. "Cassidy Murray would have been with our family celebrating this summer had life not taken such a cruel and terrible twist. We cannot think of a better way to honor this beautiful girl and her parents' noble commitment to others than by coming to Boston to bring attention to the foundation in her name."
Cassidy will be making his trip to Milton on Thursday, July 13.
