Remember on Monday when Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy was cool with the officiating?
“We’re not going to concern ourselves with the officials,” Cassidy said earlier in the week. “Until they stink and they go against us, right?”
After Thursday’s Game 5, the Boston bench boss had a different take, calling the officiating “egregious” in his postgame:
“I sat here two games ago and I said I believe these officials are at this level because they’ve earned the right to be here, and we should be getting the best, but, I mean, the narrative changed after Game 3. There was a complaint or whatever put forth by the opposition, and it just seems to have changed everything.”
“I mean, the non-call on Acciari, their player is on the way to the [penalty] box,” Cassidy said. “It’s right in front of the official. It’s a slew-foot. Our guy’s gone; the spotter took him out of the game for a possible concussion. I mean, it was blatant. It had a big effect on the game.”
“The National Hockey League’s getting a black eye with their officiating this playoffs. And here’s another one that’s going to be talked about. That call … it really made it difficult for us to get the win tonight. So I’m disappointed.”
The Boston bench boss also shared what was said on the bench after the non-call that led to the Blues’ game-winner.
“What was being said was that you missed an effing call is what was being said on the bench for obvious reasons,” Cassidy said. “Listen, we thought we got screwed. But you gotta keep playing and we did. We scored the next goal and gave ourselves a chance to win the game.”
Curiously, the same officials that Blues coach Craig Berube blasted after Game 3 are now receiving the ire of Cassidy. Referees Steve Kozari and Kelly Sutherland officiated both Games 3 and 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Here’s Cassidy, after Game 5:
Per Frank Seravalli, the league will not be handing down a fine to Cassidy for his comments.
Told #NHL is not considering a fine for #NHLBruins coach Bruce Cassidy for his post-Game 5 comments.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 7, 2019