Boston Sports Extra

With little talk about being coach of the year, Coach Bruce Cassidy has helped rebuild the Boston Bruins.

When General Manager Don Sweeney announced last April that Bruce Cassidy would the 28^th head coach of the Boston Bruins, there was hope and excitement about the new direction this team was taking. Amid the plethora of young players coming in and the return of seasoned veterans, you could see that the Bruins were going to be contenders.

Then came the injuries.

OVERCOMING SOME ODDS

The B’s went through their ups and downs through the beginning of the season. Without making excuses, when you have a young injured team and a new head coach, there will be some growing pains. The big question was: will this team even make the Wild Card race? Fast forward to April 2018, and the Bruins have become that team that just won’t quit. Boston is the team that many do not want to face in the Stanley Cup finals. Don’t forget, the Bruins are severely short-handed and are now just getting back some key players.

ENTER CASSIDY

Boston has the talent and speed. And most importantly, they have an exceptional coach that knows his players and continues to make all the right changes. As the Bruins finish their last week of the regular season, it’s interesting to hear minimal talk about Cassidy becoming a recipient of the Jack Adams award. Although the only trophy any NHL coach wants it’s the big silver cup, it’s hard to ignore what Cassidy has done for this young team.

QUICK NOTES

And of course, you can’t gloss over what Gerard Gallant has done for the Vegas Golden Knights, who are full of players that have become the most successful team in its inaugural season. Gallant, for many fans and experts alike, seems to be shoe-in for the Adams award. Still, what if the Bruins win arguably one of the most difficult trophies in any sport? Would Cassidy get the recognition he deserves?

BY THE NUMBERS

Last season the Bruins, still under Claude Julien, were looking to miss the playoffs yet again. Something had to change and the time had come with Sweeney finally letting go of Boston’s long-tenured coach. Enter Bruce Cassidy, former head coach of the Providence Bruins. Cassidy had to coach a fragmented team that no longer responded to Julien while shifting to a new playing style that emphasized speed. No longer taking a slower approach and no more playing the dump and chase game-the Bruins would start to pick up their pace.

As the interim head coach for the Bruins’ final 33 regular and postseason games, he compiled an impressive an 18-8-1 regular season record. The Bruins would clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the 2013-14 season. And for some quick stats when Cassidy took over for Julien, the Bruins would: rank first in the NHL in goals per game (3.37), first in the NHL in fewest shots allowed (741), tied for second in the NHL in wins (18), tied for second in the NHL in power-play percentage (27.8%), tied for third in the NHL in goals allowed per game (2.30) (source: NHL).

BUTCH CASSIDY

With the title “Interim” being stripped away, Bruce Cassidy would step in as the official coach of the Boston Bruins. He would be tested however as the team began the season with injuries and with some tough losses and varied wins, many were unsure about how far this team would go. But as the story goes, you can never count the Black and Gold out. And with a successful trip out west in November, everything started to click. Chemistry was building amongst the players. Cassidy was learning to read his players and tweaking the lines as needed. With a team like the Bruins, every line has proved to be productive.

2017-2018 SEASON

The Bruins are in a good place right now and are poised to clinch the division title. Cassidy’s record so far with the Bruins since taking over is 67-26-13; Claude Julien was 26-23 before he was let go. No question that Cassidy has been an important proponent in rebuilding this team and continues to make smart decisions. With a few games left in the regular season, the Bruins will be pushing for a deep playoff run. Boston needs to continue to outperform their opponents and stay healthy. While there’s little chance that Cassidy will win the Jack Adams award this season, fans know he is one of the reasons this team has become a force to be reckoned with.

See you in June.

Follow Liz Rizzo on twitter @pastagrll88

Curious about who will win the major awards in the NFL for the 2017 season? Trying to make your own predictions? This is always a fun little exercise for any sport you enjoy watching. Read below to find out my picks for the upcoming football season. Compare them to your own picks, comment what you picked differently.

Most Valuable Player

Even without Julian Edelman, I have Tom Brady winning the MVP. The loss of his most trusted receiver will hurt. The Patriots third-down percentage might drop off some. But I still see Brady throwing for 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns this season. He has a large array of weapons at his disposal, and his play hasn’t dropped off one bit. With Brandin Cooks added to the fold and a variety of running backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield, defenses have their hands full. With a 15-1 record and the above stats, Brady will be the easy choice for MVP at seasons end.

(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Offensive Player of the Year

Two years in a row and four of the last five this award has been given to the same player who won the MVP Award. It makes sense, if he’s the best player in football why wouldn’t he win the OPOY? Occasionally a guy puts up monster numbers on a team that was average so he isn’t considered the “most valuable.” If you took Tom Brady off the Patriots, they will lose a few more games. But his 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns predicted would certainly be worthy of winning this award.

I want to go with someone different though, and that direction would be to Arizona. Running back David Johnson seems to be on a level of his own right now as a dual threat. After putting up 581 rush yards and 457 receiving yards in a part-time role as a rookie, Johnson took off last year. He scored 20 touchdowns and more than 2,100 total yard of offense. I think he will even add to his receiving totals from a year ago. By racking up catches and yardage the Cardinals will try to help him become the third back ever to reach both 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. He might even catch 100 balls. The Cardinals want the ball in the hands of their best player. With Bruce Arians reportedly growing tired of his receiving corps, he’ll call on Johnson extensively as a receiver. 1,300 yards rushing, 1,050 yards receiving, 21 touchdowns.

David Johnson shoves cornerback David Amerson to the ground. August 12, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona.

Defensive Player of the Year

Von Miller has not yet won this award. I’m picking him based on the fact it seems he should win at some point, so it must be his time. Denver again goes into a season with a good looking defense, but questions remain on the offensive side. They will need their defense to win games and stay in the playoff hunt, and that all starts with Von Miller. Miller has never played a full season in which he got fewer than 11 sacks. He set a new career high last year with 78 tackles. Look for Miller to again anchor the Denver defense, a huge reason why the Broncos win several games. I predict 15 sacks, which would be the second highest total of his career. With his relentless pressure on quarterbacks the voters will give him his due this season.

Von Miller celebrates after recording a sack. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Christian McCaffrey gets the nod due to his versatility. He can return kicks, run the ball effectively, and catch the ball with the best of them. His returning kicks makes him a cinch to lead all rookies in all-purpose yardage. He might lead them all in yards from scrimmage, too. Jonathan Stewart might get more carries, but McCaffrey will split out wide some while also catching the ball out of the backfield. He should act as a security blanket for Cam Newton this year. His ability to find space down low should help limit Newton’s need to take off running this year, something the Panthers want to reduce to keep Cam healthy. Stewart is also one of the more fragile backs in the league. McCaffrey will probably be the main back for a few games. I’m putting him down for 60 receptions and 1,300 total yards.

Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball during a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Reuben Foster was a player I wanted on the Patriots. A beast at linebacker, how could teams let him slip to the 31st pick? Foster is a hard hitting, tackle machine. Playing at Alabama, Foster played in the toughest conference and was a unanimous pick for first team All-American and All-SEC. Foster also won the Butkus Award for the nations best linebacker. He had 115 tackles last season, 13 of which netted the offensive team negative yards. He should be on the field a lot playing for a poor 49ers team. This will lead to more tackle opportunities. Not only will the defense be on the field more, but the opposing team should run the ball a lot with a lead. I think Foster will end up in the top 10 for tackles in the NFL this season, and maybe threaten the top five. He could make a Luke Kuechly-type impact.

Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers tackles C.J. Anderson #22 of the Denver Broncos at Levi Stadium on August 19, 2017.(Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

Comeback Player of the Year

Keenan Allen has barely played since November of 2015. Allen pulled in more than 70 receptions in each of his first two seasons. In 2015 he lacerated a kidney during the Chargers eighth game, done for the season. At that midway point, Allen already had 67 catches, putting him on pace for a whopping 134 for the season along with eight touchdowns. Last year his season almost ended before it began. In week one, he had already racked up six catches when he went down with a torn ACL in just the second quarter. This guy knows how to play, and he can pile up the catches. With Philip Rivers chucking the ball around, volume should not be an issue. Allen just needs to stay on the field. I don’t believe he will be quite what he was before the injuries, but then again that would be an easy 100 catch receiver if he were. 90 catches, 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns should net him this award after essentially missing a year and a half.

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) catches a touchdown over Baltimore Ravens secondary players Jimmy Smith (22) and Kendrick Lewis (23) during the second quarter on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/TNS)

Coach of the Year

The NFL doesn’t like giving this award to Bill Belichick. He hasn’t won the award since 2010, despite winning 12 or more games in each season since. He has had his run-ins with the league, but I think he’s also just too easy of a pick. Everyone knows he is great, they expect the Patriots to be great and want to pick someone else. Is a 15-1 record good enough to win it? I believe so. He hasn’t won the last six years, with a 15-1 record it will be hard to pass him over. I do like the Titans to step up this year and win 11 games and the AFC South, which makes Mike Mularkey a good candidate. However, that’s only a two-win improvement on last year, not enough to overtake a 15-win Bill Belichick for the award.

Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots pats The Vince Lombardi at the Super Bowl Winner and MVP press conference on February 6, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)