O’Reilly Steps Down, Players Say : Bruin Coach Directed 1 Trip to Stanley Cup Final in 2 Years on Job

Bruins Coach Terry O’Reilly resigned today after two full years behind the bench and one trip to a Stanley Cup final, according to players.

“We had no forewarning really,” said Bruins forward Bob Joyce. “He told us, and it is a surprise.”

The news came after a closed-door meeting with Bruins General Manager Harry Sinden. Boston was knocked out of the second round of this year’s National Hockey League playoffs by Montreal in four straight games.

Can’t Be Confirmed

Neither O’Reilly nor the Bruins could immediately be reached for confirmation of the players’ reports.

Although Joyce called the resignation a surprise, other players who gathered at Boston Garden today said there have been indications for weeks that O’Reilly was considering stepping down.

“He let us know toward the end of the season” that he was considering leaving, said Bruins rookie forward John Carter.

Center Ken Linseman said, “I think during the middle of the year he was getting pretty frustrated with all the injuries. . . . He was a players’ coach. He tried to work real hard and treat the players really fairly.”

The Bruins said they enjoyed having O’Reilly, a recent Bruins player, as their coach. But they said the job took a toll.

Among the pressures off the ice, O’Reilly has a son who is battling a liver ailment and may need a transplant.

Suspended for Several Games

O’Reilly was suspended this season for several games after becoming involved in a brawl at a game in New Jersey.

“Even when he took the job (in November, 1986) I remember saying, ‘It’s great for me, but I don’t know if it’s great for him,’ ” Linseman said.

Speculation as to O’Reilly’s successor centered on Mike Milbury, coach of the Bruin’s American Hockey League team in Maine, and Bruins assistant coach John Cuniff.

“A lot of the players are disappointed,” Joyce said. “He was definitely a player’s coach. He was a motivator. He wasn’t a technical coach.”