Boston Bruins Cassidy Fined $25K For Criticizing Referees

The collective wallets of the Boston Bruins are a bit lighter on Tuesday after a pair of fines following a heated, controversial Game 5 win for the New York Islanders at TD Garden.

Nick Ritchie was fined $5,000 for elbowing Scott Mayfield as the Islanders defenseman attempted to play a puck from his knees that on-ice officials Francois Charron and Francois St. Laurent both somehow missed during the game. That was the appetizer, of course, for the $25,000 fine tagged on Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy after his public lambasting of the on-ice officials for missing a series of calls against the New York Islanders, and for hilariously referring to them as the “New York Saints” for the holier-than-thou treatment they receive from the referees.

“I have all the respect in the world for Colie [Campbell],” said Cassidy, of the fine. “We’re told before the series that we have to keep our comments civil. I thought it was. They didn’t see it that way.”

Cassidy had a lot to say following the loss where the Bruins gave up three power play goals despite vastly outplaying the Islanders, but it was these words that probably drew the fine: “they just need to be better than that and just call the game you see. Quit listening to these outside influences and get it done right. I don’t think [the on-ice officials] were great tonight. I’m not going to lie to you.”

Certainly, Cassidy had legitimate gripes as the officiating was bad for both sides, but they missed an obvious high-sticking penalty on Kyle Palmieri where he literally stopped skating after clubbing Craig Smith.

Kyle Palmieri literally stopped skating because he thought he was going to the box. No penalty. That’s how bad the Francois Brothers were last night https://t.co/9Wgj7qeIl7

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 8, 2021

That led almost directly to an Islanders PP goal that made it a 4-2 game after a soft call on Sean Kuraly in the first period handed the Islanders a power play as well.

And then later Brock Nelson swatted a puck over the glass for a delay of game call that was missed as well, among a number of black-and-white infractions that the Islanders simply aren’t getting whistled for in this series.

It remains to be seen if Cassidy’s gamesmanship will have any impact on the series with the Bruins trailing 3-to-2 headed into Wednesday night’s game vs. the Isles at Nassau Coliseum, but it probably should if the referees actually want to level the playing field just a little bit.