The Boston Bruins are going in a new direction behind the bench. News emerged on Tuesday that Jim Montgomery has been fired by the club. Montgomery had been had coach for the Bruins since the 2022-23 season. General manager Don Sweeney announced that Joe Sacco will take over on an interim basis.
Jim Montgomery Fired by Boston Bruins
Montgomery had amassed a 120-41-23 record behind the bench in Boston. The Montreal native won the Jack Adams Award for the league’s best head coach in the 2022-23 season. He also led the Bruins to the President’s Trophy in the 2022-23 campaign.
However, the promising regular season all faded away when the Bruins were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Florida did reach the Stanley Cup Final, but that was little consolation for Montgomery and Boston.
He guided the Bruins to the post-season once again in the 2023-24 campaign. However, Boston was dumped out by Florida, the eventual Stanley Cup Champion.
Montgomery also coached the Dallas Stars for over a season from 2018-2020. He earned a record of 60-43-10 in his tenure.
What It Means
The Bruins have gotten off to an inconsistent start and that has coast Montgomery his job. This is despite a pretty strong record with the club.
Boston has a win-now mentality with the plenty of good players. However, those players have yet to perform on a consistent basis this season. The Bruins will now try their hand with a new bench boss to try and get back on track.
Montgomery will likely find a new spot once the dust settles. He found his stride behind the Bruins bench and has an Adams Award and President’s Trophy to his name. There will be no shortage of suitors if a position comes open.
He could also do what Bruce Cassidy did and win a Stanley Cup in a short time after he got dismissed by the club. Cassidy led the Vegas Golden Knights to a Cup a couple of seasons ago.
Main photo by: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
