Jim Montgomery says his Bruins will be known for "effort and execution"
BOSTON -- Jim Montgomery was confident that he would get a second chance as an NHL head coach. He's absolutely elated that his next opportunity has come with the Boston Bruins.
Montgomery was officially introduced as the 29th head coach of the Bruins on Monday, finally holding up a B's jersey and chatting with reporters inside TD Garden. Since he was hired over a week ago, Montgomery and his family have already integrated themselves with the Boston sports scene -- and they cannot wait to be a part of it all.
"I am very grateful to lead the spoked B behind the bench and work with this group that won 51 games last year. My family is already excited," Montgomery said Monday. "We found a home and saw a Sox-Yankees game – and the Sox came back to win in 10 innings. Excited with this rabid fanbase to be part of the Bruins family."
Finding a home in Boston is no easy task. Nor is securing Red Sox-Yankees tickets. So it sounds like Montgomery's days in Boston are already off to a great start.
He's also pretty excited about working with a Bruins team that is coming off a 51-win season, as he noted several times on Monday. Montgomery hopes that his coaching will bring a little more offensive firepower to the Bruins, and highlighted some ways to the Boston management that will get B's defensemen more involved on that side of the ice.
As for the team's identity and DNA, they're simple.
"For the fans, on ice, we're going to compete and be a team known for effort and execution. Around the league, I want us to be known as a team where you better be prepared, or you're going to be put on your heels," Montgomery said.
Montgomery said that he's already spoken with more than half of the Boston roster, plus one very important player who isn't technically on the roster at the moment: Patrice Bergeron.
Bergeron was the first phone call that Montgomery made, as the B's captain is still deciding whether he'll return for a 19th season in Boston.
"It was really good, enlightening. Felt like I was talking to a coach, not a player," Montgomery said of his chat with Bergeron. "Very impressed, and it was a very open and honest conversation, how he's excited about what the Bruins family can do and that I'm excited to be a part of it.
Montgomery said that his biggest strength is being able to connect with people, whether it's younger players, older players, or everyone in between.
"I'm going to communicate how important everyone's role is to the team's success, and will always come back to how that person's individual success can help the team's success," he said Monday.
Montgomery is back in charge of an NHL team after he spent the last two years as an assistant for the St. Louis Blues. He was the head coach of the Dallas Stars from 2018-20 and had the team back in the playoffs in his first season on the bench. But he was dismissed early in his second season, and Montgomery later revealed that he had entered rehab for alcohol abuse.
He's grateful to have another opportunity as an NHL head coach, and grateful for everyone who helped him get back to his dream job.
"I'm very fortunate that I have a lot of great people in my life, a lot of good mentors. Everyone has ups and downs in life and if you learn from them you get better," said Montgomery. "I'm very cognizant of the fact that the things I've been able to overcome -- with the help of my wife, family, new friends and close friends – anyone can achieve those things in life if you're willing to accept change and make change."
