Cassels: Sharing a wealth of knowledge

COLUMBUS - Longtime Columbusite Andrew Cassels won't be watching the Canadiens and Blue Jackets go head-to-head on Friday night at Nationwide Arena.

Instead, the 49-year-old former Habs forward will be behind the bench at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, MN coaching the fifth-ranked Ohio State University women's hockey team.
Cassels, who has served as the squad's interim associate head coach since September, is enjoying his tenure in the NCAA ranks thus far.
He brought along 1,015 games of NHL experience to the position, including 60 games as a member of the Canadiens at the outset of his 16-year career in 1989-90 and 1990-91 that also included stints with Hartford, Calgary, Vancouver, Columbus and Washington.

Photo Credit: Ohio State Athletics
"It's been really fun and challenging working with the girls. You couldn't ask for a better place to work," said Cassels, on his new collegiate gig in the state capital. "They make me laugh every day, to be honest. They're so funny. They're great kids. They love the game of hockey and they love to play, which is awesome."
When he isn't sharing words of wisdom with his Buckeyes, you'll likely find Cassels working with his 12-year-old son Birk's 12U AAA Blue Jackets contingent, and trying to make time to coach his nine-year-old son Cruz, a member of the Squirt Minor AA Columbus Capitals, as well. Both are goaltenders.
Admittedly, though, Cassels' wife Heather has been a huge help with the boys given his already busy schedule with OSU.

"She's been a saint because she's been the one travelling all over the place with them for travel hockey. It's not easy in Columbus. Our closest trip is two-and-a-half hours away," mentioned Cassels, whose coaching resume also includes one season serving as an assistant with the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones. "We've only had four home weekends this year, and the rest has been trips to either Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh. You name it, we've gone. She's picked up a lot of the work for me."
Cassels also has two other children. Twenty-three-year-old Cole is a former third-round selection of the Vancouver Canucks and is currently plying his trade in Germany, while 22-year-old Scout is a recent college graduate.
He has resided in Columbus since 2002, leaving the city briefly to close out his playing career with the Capitals in 2005-06.
Fond memories of Montreal
It wasn't long before the Bramalea, ON native, whom the Canadiens selected 17th overall in the 1987 NHL Draft, made his presence felt with the big club.
On November 20, 1989, an 18-year-old Cassels scored on his first shot during his first shift in the League at the Montreal Forum.
And, it proved to be the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames.
"It's one of those things where you're just hoping you can take advantage of an opportunity and have a good game. I was thankful my mom and dad were there to see it. They took the train up from Toronto. It could have easily worked out that it was somewhere farther away and they couldn't get there," said Cassels, whose tally was assisted by Ed Cristofoli and Jocelyn Lemieux at the 2:36 mark of the second period. "It's probably my favorite memory, along with having the plaque [commemorating the goal] with the Canadiens emblem on it."

While his time in Montreal was relatively short, Cassels still cherishes his days with the bleu-blanc-rouge.
It was a special way to kick things off at hockey's highest level.
"Just to be in that dressing room where so many great hockey players have sat, playing with Denis Savard, Chris Chelios, Petr Svoboda, Patrick Roy and Brian Hayward. The list goes on," said Cassels, who registered eight goals and 27 points with the Habs. "To be one of those guys that got to sit in the Forum dressing room and be a Montreal Canadien is a great memory for me. Hockey-wise, it's the greatest city I played in."