After Bruce Cassidy's criticism of the officials Monday night, few were surprised to see the NHL slap him with a $25,000 fine.
Except Bruce Cassidy, apparently.
The Bruins head coach said Tuesday he didn't believe his remarks after Boston's Game 5 loss to the Islanders -- in which he accused the officials of holding the New York "Saints" to a double standard and being influenced by Barry Trotz's recent comments about Patrice Bergeron -- warranted any punishment.
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"Most of what I thought I said was more in reference to the Islanders, a little gamesmanship with the Islanders and Barry with his comments toward Bergy," Cassidy said, via MassLive.com. "I’m always going to protect my captain. I kind of pushed back a little bit."
Barry Trotz, Islanders fans amused by Cassidy's 'Saints' jab
Cassidy also pointed out several missed calls after Game 5 but thought he did so in a respectful manner.
"Obviously I thought there were some calls that went against us when it comes to high sticks. ... I voiced that. I was held accountable for it," Cassidy. "Usually, when you get fined you say something to the effect of ‘embarrassing’ or ‘a joke.’ I didn’t say that.
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"I think those two officials are excellent officials. They missed a couple high sticks along the way in the series. I pointed that out. We’re told we have to keep our comments civil. I thought it was. They didn’t see it that way.
"I have a lot of respect for (Vice President Colin Campbell) and for the NHL front office. That’s the way he saw it. We’ll move on from that."
Even if Cassidy thought he was nice about it, the NHL fined him for "public comments critical of the officiating," and his lengthy speech Monday certainly falls in that category.
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But the Bruins coach seems ready to move on to a must-win Game 6 at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night -- and hopes the referees aren't swayed by any outside noise.
"Will it have an effect going forward? I’ve said any comment shouldn’t," Cassidy said. "The refs should call what they see."