With the Vegas Golden Knights facing the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday, Bruce Cassidy had some thoughts about returning to his old workplace.

BOSTON – The date was Dec. 5, 2022. It was an emotional night for Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, who returned to TD Garden for the first time since the Boston Bruins fired him following the 2021-22 season, ending a five-plus year run leading the team.

Now behind the visiting bench, Cassidy was unsure about the reaction he would receive. When the jumbotron showed a tribute for him during the first media timeout, and the TD Garden crowd gave him an ovation, Cassidy was visibly emotional.

“I think last year there was the unknown, didn’t know what would happen,” Cassidy said on Thursday, ahead of this season’s TD Garden matchup with the Bruins. “You come back in here, you get let go, so you don’t know if you’re going to get booed out of the building or a nice hand, so anyway we got that over with.”

Vegas ended up winning 4-3 in a shootout, handing Boston its first loss at home after 14 straight wins to open the year. The Bruins would set the record for most wins (65) and points (135) in a season, but Cassidy and the Golden Knights would have the last laugh, defeating the Florida Panthers – which had shocked the Bruins in the first round – in the Stanley Cup Finals for the franchise’s first championship.

“It’s nice to come back with a big, nice, shiny ring on your finger too,” Cassidy said. “Always a good visit with that.”

Cassidy went 245-108-46 in his tenure with Boston, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 but falling to the St. Louis Blues in seven games. His .672 points percentage ranks fifth-best in Bruins history, and is the best among coaches who lasted longer than three seasons.

The 58-year-old said several former players reached out to him after winning the Cup with Vegas, and that he saw many at golf tournaments near his summer home in Cape Cod. He also said he keeps in contact with Bruins assistant coaches Joe Sacco and Bob Essensa, whom he worked with in Boston.

“I wanted to win one here, trust me, more than anybody,” Cassidy said. “Didn’t work out, so that’s our ultimate goal. I think every coach wants to win, so it’s just a nice feeling to be able to get it accomplished.”

The Golden Knights come into Boston this season rolling along with a bevy of injuries, including captain Mark Stone (upper body) and former Boston University star Jack Eichel (lower body), but will look to follow up Tuesday’s 6-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When it comes to assessing his former team, Cassidy said he isn’t surprised to see them near the top of the league standings again despite losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, among others, this offseason.

“I don’t know where I had them pegged last year. You figure they can’t drop that much. I mean, they had such a terrific year,” Cassidy said. “No, I’m not surprised. They’ve still got core guys that have been [healthy]: ‘Pasta’ (David Pastrnak), [Brad Marchand], the goaltenders, [Charlie] McAvoy … Those are the guys that lead this team and they’ve been able to bring it most every night.”

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