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Chris Kelly was a solid two-way center for six seasons with the Bruins. USA Today Sports<\/p>\nAs Kelly\u2019s 14-year NHL career was winding down \u2014 a journey that included a six-year run and a Stanley Cup in Boston \u2014 he began thinking about his next move.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny \u2026 when you\u2019re playing, you\u2019re like, \u2018When I\u2019m done playing, I\u2019m done. I\u2019ll find something else to do,\u2019 \u201d Kelly told the Globe recently. \u201cAnd then you get closer to retirement, you\u2019re like, \u2018I kind of like hockey. So, maybe there\u2019s something I can find to stay in it.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
A reliable and responsible 200-foot center during his playing days, he has brought those same qualities to his second career.<\/p>\n
Kelly joined the Senators, the club that drafted him, in a player development role for three seasons when Bruins general manager Don Sweeney gave him a call.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI started off in development and I really liked development, but the opportunity came here when Jay Pandolfo went to [take over as coach at Boston University] and Sweens reached out to see if I\u2019d be interested in an interview,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cAnd my family was on board. That\u2019s the first and foremost that they had to be on board because it is a big commitment. It\u2019s back to traveling a lot like a player and a lot of hours put in at the rink. So, they were on board. \u2026 It\u2019s been good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kelly has an excellent rapport with the players; he believes that stems from his days being on the bench rather standing behind it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I\u2019m kind of the guy I hope the players feel comfortable to come to and talk to me about any situations going on,\u201d he said. \u201cKind of the middleman, I think, between the staff and the players. Not to say that the rest of the assistants aren\u2019t very approachable. I think being a former player, I kind of maybe understand sometimes where they\u2019re coming from and can think of being in their shoes at times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Kelly was a solid two-way center for six seasons with the Bruins. USA Today Sports<\/p>\n
\u201cKells,\u201d as he\u2019s known throughout the building and the league, does most of his work now with the Bruins forwards, but he\u2019s coached every aspect of the game.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s involved in the on-ice activities, whether it\u2019s a regular practice or a morning skate, the pre-scouts, the in-game adjustments, and the postgame debriefings. He\u2019s worked with every position group.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve done it all, which has been great. I\u2019ve had that opportunity to see all aspects of it and learn,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd when you play, you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh I can coach.\u2019 There\u2019s a lot more to coaching than you think. So, I\u2019ve always had the mind-set of an open mind, a growth mind-set to learn, because I don\u2019t know everything and there\u2019s always someone that has great ideas and I\u2019m open to anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marco Sturm said Kelly has been an invaluable resource.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can tell why he won the Cup. He\u2019s very competitive. He wants to win. He wants to get better. He\u2019s not shy about pointing out things. He can be very emotional. I see a lot of myself in him,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cHe does so many little things behind the scenes, working with a guy like [rookie Fraser] Minton, and the young kids, the forwards. He works on faceoffs with them, he does pre-scouts for me, he just helps in so many different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kelly, who collected five goals and 13 points and was a plus-11 in 25 games during Boston\u2019s run to the 2011 Cup, worked with multiple head coaches and has taken pieces from each as he\u2019s formed his own style.<\/p>\n
![\"Bruins](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G6CYWWU3N4GQDEG5M5WZ46RQRM.jpg\")
Bruins assistant coach Chris Kelly says he has picked up something from every coach he’s worked for, like former Boston coach Bruce Cassidy (left, rear) and last year’s interim coach, Joe Sacco (right, rear). Back in March 2022, Cassidy let Kelly handle the discussion during a time out against the Kings at the Garden. Matthew J Lee\/Globe staff<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve been fortunate in terms of being here and seeing great coaches,\u201d said Kelly, who has worked under Bruce Cassidy, Jim Montgomery, Joe Sacco, and now Sturm. \u201cEvery coach that\u2019s come in here, I\u2019ve learned from which different strategies, different systems, how they want to coach, how they handle different situations. So, as an assistant coach, I\u2019ve been able to learn a lot from different people. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think as an assistant coach, it\u2019s your job to work with the head coach. And like I said, everyone comes in with different ideas and if you have an open mind, you can learn a lot. And our job is to relay the coach\u2019s message to the players and make sure we\u2019re all on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n
Could a head coaching spot be next?<\/p>\n
\u201cI get asked this a lot. I have the mind-set that I\u2019ll be where my feet are at in terms of, I want to get really good at being an assistant coach,\u201d he said. \u201cI know other people are always trying to look for the next position, which is fine. I think my mind-set is, and it\u2019s kind of the same mind-set I had as a player, I want to get really good at where I\u2019m at and then those opportunities may present themselves \u2014 and then it\u2019s your decision if you want to pursue them. <\/p>\n
\u201cI still have lots to learn as a coach, and I want to continue to get better in the role I\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @globejimmcbride<\/a>.<\/p>\n