Report: Boston Bruins narrow coaching search to Mike Vellucci, David Quinn, Jay Leach
It appears the Boston Bruins are close to concluding their head coaching hunt.
According to a report Tuesday from Boston hockey insider and Worcester Telegram & Gazette reporter Joe McDonald, the Bruins have interviewed Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci.
Heard Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci has also interviewed with the Bruins.
— Joe McDonald (@JoeyMacHockey) June 29, 2022
Last week, McDonald reported the Bruins had interviewed David Quinn and Jay Leach for the head coaching job, too.
As reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli Wednesday: Vellucci’s interview was his second. Seravalli also confirmed McDonald’s reporting and indicated the final candidates for the job are Vellucci, Quinn and Leach.
As usual, @JoeyMacHockey is all over it. Wanted to add: Believe this was Vellucci's second interview as part of the process.
Sounds like the finalists for #NHLBruins are David Quinn, Jay Leach and Vellucci. Many believe Quinn is the front runner for the job. We'll see. https://t.co/0kIMUmACiR
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 29, 2022
Vellucci, 55, has worked in the game on the coach and management side for close to three decades. As GM and coach of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers, he guided them to multiple league championships. After spending years as the Carolina Hurricanes’ assistant GM and director of hockey ops, he took over as head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, and led them to a Calder Cup championship in 2018-19. For the past three seasons, he’s worked in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, operating as coach and GM of their AHL affiliate in 2019-20 and working as an assistant coach at the NHL level under Mike Sullivan for the past two seasons.
Quinn, 55, brings Massachusetts roots to his candidacy. In a long and successful coaching career at the college level, he took Boston University to multiple NCAA tournament berths and two Hockey East titles. During a middling run as New York Rangers coach from 2018-19 through 2020-21, he complied a 96-87-25 record. He also coached the U.S. men’s national team in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Leach, 42, currently operates as a Seattle Kraken assistant coach after spending the previous four seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Providence Bruins. He would bring intimate organizational knowledge, having worked closely with the Bruins’ farmhands, many of whom are on the NHL roster now, during his tenure.
Earlier this month, the Bruins fired head coach Bruce Cassidy despite the fact he’d led them to six consecutive playoff appearances and a 2018-19 Stanley Cup Final berth. He was unemployed for less than a week, quickly snapped up by the Vegas Golden Knights and named their new head coach.