Bruce Cassidy was looking for a little magic from Bill Belichick. The Boston Bruins coach reached out to Belichick ahead of the Stanley Cup Final to make sure he and his players were mentally prepared. Cassidy also spoke with Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Celtics coach Brad Stevens and even former Bruins players.
With Belichick, Cassidy made sure to broach the topic of dealing with a long break. The Bruins have extended rest after sweeping Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Meanwhile, their opponents, the St. Louis Blues, went six games in the Western Conference Final.
“There’s the mental side of it — how to keep players on their toes and don’t let their mind drift and get their focus back,” Cassidy told 98.5 The Sports Hub during a radio appearance on Wednesday. “I think that was more the discussion than anything.”
Football teams deal with bye weeks, where they don’t play for almost two full weeks. They also have a week-long preparation before most games. So what’s abnormal for Cassidy is actually quite typical for Belichick. And Cassidy made it clear that while Belichick is reluctant to speak with the media, he was happy to speak with another coach,
“I’ve gotta tell you — terrific, terrific guy. Very insightful, and it was great. I really appreciate it,” Cassidy said.
