The Vegas Golden Knights absolutely dominated the Florida Panthers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, and head coach Bruce Cassidy admitted that once the team beat the Dallas Stars, he was confident his team's first title would follow soon after.

“Once we were there in the Stanley Cup Final I truly believed we were not going to be denied,” Cassidy said at a press conference at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.

Although it's a bold claim, Vegas simply outclassed Florida throughout the Stanley Cup Final, and would have swept if not for late-game heroics by Matthew Tkachuk and a subsequent overtime winner from Carter Verhaeghe in Game 3.

The well-liked 58-year-old also took the time to thank the front office for hiring him just over a year ago.

“I want to thank Bill Foley, George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon for giving me this opportunity, but I also want to thank the people behind the scenes,” Cassidy continued. “I couldn't be any prouder to be the first coach to bring the Stanley Cup to Vegas.”

Bruce Cassidy was shockingly fired as the head coach of the Boston Bruins at the end of last year, and proceeded to be hired by the Golden Knights less than a week later. Now, the Bruins are facing all kinds of question marks this offseason, while ‘Butch' is a Stanley Cup champion.

The Knights outscored the Panthers an astounding 26-12 over five games, as the Panthers couldn't overcome the deep run coupled with injuries. They were absolutely riddled with the latter, with Tkachuk being unable to put on his own skates and star defenseman Aaron Ekblad playing through multiple gruesome injuries, among others.

Still, it was a well-deserved title for the Golden Knights, who have been knocking at the door since they marched all the way to the Final in 2018 and lost to the Washington Capitals in five games.

Only six years in and Vegas has a Stanley Cup that has been so elusive to so many players over the years. With Bruce Cassidy back at the helm for 2023-24, the Golden Knights already look like the team to beat next season.