Head Coach - Rob Murray is in his second season as head coach of the Providence Bruins after guiding the club to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and an Atlantic Division title. The first-year bench boss led a young and mostly inexperienced group to a 43-29-2-6 record and 94 points, tied for the fourth most in franchise history. Following five years as an assistant coach in Rhode Island, Murray was named the P-Bruins' ninth head coach on August 21, 2008 after his predecessor, Scott Gordon, earned a lead job with the New York Islanders. The 42-year-old native of Toronto, Ontario, joined Gordon's staff following a 16-year playing career. He has helped Providence to the postseason in all six of his seasons in Rhode Island.

Murray is regarded as one of the true greats in the history of the American Hockey League. In fact, he and former Boston Bruins defenseman Eddie Shore are the only two men to have had their numbers retired for the Springfield Falcons franchise. Murray's number 23 was raised to the rafters in a pre-game ceremony in Springfield on February 10, 2007. Among his accomplishments, Murray became just the sixth player in the AHL's 74-year history to play 1,000 games on February 23, 2003. He retired ranking sixth in the league with 1,018 games under his belt. Murray also ranks second in AHL history with 2,940 penalty minutes. He is Springfield's career leader in games played (501) and PIM (1,529), and he ranks first in assists (157), second in points (218) and fifth in goals (61).

During the 90's, Murray's name became synonymous with Springfield hockey. He played 378 games for the Falcons from 1994-99, and he played 22 games with the team in 1999-2000 before being traded by the Phoenix Coyotes to the Edmonton Oilers on November 30, 1999. Murray later signed with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 24, 2000 and began the season with their top affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. He found himself in a Springfield uniform again, though, after a mid-season trade in 2000-01. Murray signed with the Calgary Flames on August 2, 2001 and spent the 2001-02 season with their top development club, the Saint John Flames. He returned for one final year in Springfield when he signed an AHL deal on August 1, 2002.

Prior to turning pro, Murray began his hockey career with the junior Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, suiting up from 1984-87 while posting 107 points (43g, 64a) and 484 PIM. He was the Washington Capitals' third pick, 61st overall, in the third round of the 1985 National Hockey League Entry Draft. His pro career started with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League in 1987-88, when he tallied 33 points (12g, 21a) and 139 PIM in 80 games. During his third pro season, in 1989-90, Murray played in a career-best 41 NHL games for the Caps, notching nine points (2g, 7a) and 58 PIM.

On May 30, 1991, the Minnesota North Stars selected Murray in the NHL Expansion Draft, but traded him the next day to the Winnipeg Jets. He went on to split the next five years between the Jets and their AHL affiliates, the Moncton Hawks and the Falcons. In the 1993-94 season, Murray tallied a career-high 57 points (25g, 32a) with a team-leading 280 PIM in 69 games with Moncton, leading the club to an appearance in the Calder Cup Finals.

Murray was known throughout his career as a leader, serving as the captain of four different clubs, beginning with Moncton for two seasons from 1992-94. He was the Falcons' captain from the 1994-95 season until his trade to Edmonton on November 30, 1999. He became the captain of the Oilers' AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs for the remainder of that campaign. He also served as the Phantoms' captain in 2000-01 until his trade back to the Falcons and resumed Springfield's captaincy for the 2002-03 season. The former center finished his pro career with 525 points (177g, 348a) and 3,190 PIM in 1,205 games.

Murray and his wife Carolyn reside year-round in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, with their daughters Taylor and Quinn, and sons Zachary and Brendan.

 

Assistant Coach - Bruce Cassidy is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Providence Bruins after joining the club on September 12, 2008 to fill the role of former assistant and present head coach Rob Murray. Known to many as "Butch", the 44-year-old Cassidy has 13 years of career coaching experience, highlighted by a stint as head coach of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals from 2002-04. Cassidy's coaching resume is a lengthy one, having served as a head or assistant coach at a variety of levels from the NHL to the Ontario Hockey League.

An Ottawa, Ontario, native, Cassidy began his junior-level playing days in the OHL for his hometown team, the Ottawa 67's, during the 1982-83 season. The former defenseman's best season was his very first as he paced the 67's with 86 assists in 70 games and finished second for the club's overall scoring lead with 111 points. The next season, after being selected 18th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Cassidy made his NHL debut as an 18-year-old, appearing in one game for Chicago and spending the rest of the year with Ottawa. He once again finished second on the 67's in scoring but the regular season later proved to be an afterthought as Ottawa went on to win a Memorial Cup championship in 1984 over the Kitchener Rangers with Cassidy notching an impressive 22 points (6g, 16a) in just 13 playoff games. His final junior season with Ottawa was in 1984-85 when he appeared in only 38 games in what was the first of three straight years cut short by knee surgeries.

From 1985 to 1990, Cassidy played mainly in Chicago's system, seeing time with the Hawks and their affiliates, the Nova Scotia Oilers of the American Hockey League and the International Hockey League's Saginaw Generals, Saginaw Hawks and Indianapolis Ice. Over those years, Cassidy appeared in 36 NHL games for Chicago, scoring four goals while adding 13 assists. His best years were in 1988-89, when he tallied 80 points for Saginaw, and 1989-90, a season highlighted by a Turner Cup championship for Indianapolis. The following three years, he played in the Italian Ice Hockey League and German Hockey League, suiting up for Alleghe HC in Italy and Kaufbeuren. In 1994-95, Cassidy returned to Indianapolis, enjoying the final three of his 12 playing seasons before retiring 10 games into the 1996-97 campaign to accept a head coaching job with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings of the ECHL. Cassidy led Jacksonville to a 15-25-10 record after it began the year 6-12-2.

Cassidy's second season as a coach and first full year was much improved for Jacksonville as it finished 35-39-6. The following year, 1998-99, Cassidy was promoted to head coach of the team in Indianapolis for which he had played parts of four seasons. The club went 33-37-12 but advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The Ice folded after that season, leading Cassidy to take the head coaching position with the expansion Trenton Titans of the ECHL. The Titans advanced to the fourth round of the playoffs, earning Cassidy a move to the Ottawa Senators organization as head coach of the IHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. They led the league at 53-22-7 in 2000-01 and again won a division title the next year with a 42-27-11 record, earning Cassidy the AHL's Louis A.R. Piere Memorial Award as Coach of the Year.

The Washington Capitals took notice of Cassidy's work in the minors and made him their head coach in 2002-03, where he led the Caps to the postseason and a record of 39-29-8-6. Washington fell, however, to the eventual Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay, in the first round. His tenure with the Capitals ended with a record of 47-45-9-6 over parts of two seasons. Cassidy signed with Chicago in June 2004 as an assistant coach, working with the AHL's Norfolk Admirals during the 2004-05 NHL lockout season and then the Blackhawks in 2005-06. He again became a head coach in 2006-07, guiding the Kingston Frontenacs to a 31-30-7 mark and a trip to the OHL playoffs. His time in Kingston concluded with a two-year record of 33-39-8, bringing his overall head coaching record to 295-253-36-37 (W-L-T/SOL-OTL) in 621 games.

Cassidy resides in Providence, Rhode Island, with his wife Julie and their daughter Shannon.

 

Strength and Coditioning Coach - This is Mike's eighth season as the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Providence Bruins.  As such, he is responsible for minimizing and preventing injuries while enhancing player performance.  Mike has been a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist for over 15 years.  During that time, he has worked with thousands of athletes, ranging from professional, Olympic, collegiate, high school and youth levels.  His company, NorthEast Sports Training and Rehabilitation, has locations in Warwick, Providence and North Smithfield, Rhode Island.  NorthEast Sports Training is Rhode Island's only training facility dedicated to preparing athletes for sport.  Mike received his bachelor's degree from Merrimack College, where he concentrated in Exercise Science and played hockey.  In addition, Mike presents nationally on the topic of 'functional exercise'.  Mike, his wife, and three sons reside in Warwick.

Medical Staff - Paul D. Fadale, M.D., is a Professor and Surgeon-in-Chief at Brown Medical School/Rhode Island Hospital. He is the Head Team Physician for the Brown University athletic teams and, since 1992, the Providence Bruins professional hockey team. He has also served as head physician for many amateur and professional sporting events including the United States Figure Skating Association National Championships.

Dr. Fadale primarily treats injuries to the knees, shoulders, and ankles of athletes. The surgeries he most commonly performs are reconstructions of ligaments and treatment of cartilage damage in the knee. In the shoulder he commonly treats rotator cuff disease and instability. Ankle reconstructions for athlete tendon rupture or instability are also performed.

His multiple research activities are directed toward many of the commonly seen athletic injuries. He has written numerous scientific articles and book chapters on sports related problems. In addition, Dr. Fadale has lectured and taught surgery at national/international sports medicine meetings. Presently he is an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America.

EDUCATION: Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Fadale received both an undergraduate and medical doctor degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed his orthopaedic residency at Brown Medical School and was fellowship trained in Sports Medicine at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and in Orthopaedic Trauma in Switzerland. Before returning to Brown University as the Chief of Sports Medicine, he served as a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has participated in several radio and television presentations including the Cable News Network (CNN). His research and publications cover a wide range of athletic injuries.

Medical Staff - Michael J. Hulstyn, M.D., completed his orthopedic training at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, and fellowship in Sports Medicine at Harvard University and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He is board certified by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Brown Medical School.

Dr. Hulstyn treats all types of injuries, specializing in shoulder and knee disorders. He treats patients of all ages, including professional, amateur and recreational athletes.

While he performs surgical procedures using replacement ligaments and transferring donor tissues, Dr. Hulstyn is also researching how the body can improve its ability to heal without having to replace or remove torn cartilage or ligaments. He has had numerous presentations at national research meetings and publications in medical literature.

Dr. Hulstyn is a member of the Rhode Island Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Health and the Brown University Athletic Advisory Council.

In addition, he is also the Team Physician for the Providence Bruins, Brown University and Bryant College.