Hill: Knights coach’s sense of humor remains healthy despite injuries

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy was able to crack a joke Saturday morning despite delivering the grim news about yet another injury to a key player.

This time, it’s the absence of leading scorer Jack Eichel. Shortly after confirming Eichel would miss at least Saturday night’s game against Calgary and potentially be out longer, Cassidy was asked how he’s able to remain in good spirits despite seemingly having to deliver a new injury update every day.

“Well, if you guys stopped asking me those questions about injuries, I’d have a tremendous spirit every day,” he said before breaking into the trademark giggle he reserves for when he’s particularly proud of a witty response.

His sense of humor is one of the few healthy things in the Knights’ locker room right now.

Cassidy’s ability to remain lighthearted speaks to the resilience Cassidy has developed in the game, largely through his many years in the minors as a player and coach.

“I have a bit of an AHL mentality where we go through this a lot more, so I’ve been trained to sort of move on and find plan B, C, D or whatever it takes to win and find another way to get the guys to believe in the game plan for that night or the next night,” he said. “You’re certainly coaching a little more in terms of details. And reminding them, this is how we play and this is our identity. You’re probably digging in a little deeper, and that’s fine. That’s what we’re paid to do. That’s how I look at it.”

One after another

Next man up has taken on a whole new meaning for a Knights organization that had the stroke of genius to place its American Hockey League affiliate down the street in Henderson, where players don’t even have to get on a plane. All the players coming and going are partly responsible for all the traffic on the 215.

The locker room at City National Arena was almost comical Saturday morning. A large rack was set up in the middle of the room with a pair of folding chairs because center Byron Froese and goaltender Isaiah Saville were called up, and there were no more regular stalls available.

The sight of major professional athletes trying to sit in a folding chair in full gear after morning skate would have been hilarious if not set against the reality of all the regulars who are unavailable.

Cassidy doesn’t have time to lament the loss of those he can’t pencil in the lineup.

“I’m paid to coach the players in the locker room,” he said. “I understand that. Yes, some days you’re like, ‘What’s next?’ But you can’t have that mentality very long or you won’t get where you want to go. It’s that simple.”

That kind of attitude, the Stanley Cup-winning coach said, will bleed into the players and infect the entire organization.

“So instead I think you have to manage expectations a little better with the group,” he said. “Maybe we’re not going to blow through every team that maybe before we were. We’re going to have to find a way to stay in the game and win games that maybe go down to the wire a lot more, but we just find a way to win and feel good about yourselves that way.”

Coach’s time to shine

That means a doubling down on defensive structure and puck management, two of Cassidy’s favorite subjects. They’re also going to need to win the special teams battle, which they did Thursday after a long run of struggles in that area led to some bad losses.

It’s an opportunity for a coach to shine, and Cassidy has proven before to be up to the task.

He even took the opportunity Saturday to send a subtle message to some of his players who will be in elevated roles.

“Sometimes in these situations, you can learn that other guys can step up and take on more responsibility,” he said. “Sometimes those guys can’t, and other times it turns out those guys were just waiting to kick down the door.”

If that door gets knocked down, Cassidy will be on the other side. Probably giggling.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.