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Bruins promote Dean, Cassidy’s former assistant

Kevin Dean #28

20 Jan 1999: Kevin Dean #28 of the New Jersey Devils controls the puck during the game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Devils defeated the Duck 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport

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A familiar face will join Bruce Cassidy behind the bench in Boston next season.

Kevin Dean, Cassidy’s longtime assistant coach in Providence, has been promoted to work alongside Cassidy with the Bruins, the club announced on Tuesday.

“He’s an extremely knowledgeable hockey mind who is deeply committed to the Bruins organization and development of our players,” Cassidy said of Dean, in a release. “We’ve established a strong rapport having coached together for five years in Providence and I look forward to working closely with him again on a daily basis.”

Last year, Dean served as the head coach in Providence, having inherited the job after Cassidy left to join Claude Julien’s staff. When Julien was fired, Cassidy was named interim head coach of the Bruins and, after taking the team to the playoffs, had the interim tag lifted in late April.

In his first season at the helm of the P-Bruins, Dean led the team to a 43-23-6 (96 points) record, yielding a berth in the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs.

Prior to his coaching career, Dean appeared in over 300 NHL contests with New Jersey, Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago. He will now be one of Cassidy’s three assistants, along with Joe Sacco and Jay Pandolfo.