Bruins announce hiring of Jim Montgomery as new head coach
BOSTON -- It's official. Jim Montgomery is the next head coach of the Boston Bruins.
Montgomery's hiring was widely reported Thursday night, and the Bruins announced the move Friday afternoon. The 53-year-old is now the 29th head coach in Bruins franchise history.
"Jim has a winning history, and throughout the interview process he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure," Bruins GM Don Sweeney said in the team's release. "We are excited for Jim to begin to make his imprint on our team."
This is Montgomery's second head coaching job in the NHL, following his season-and-a-half stint with the Dallas Stars from 2018-2020. He led the Stars to a 43-32-7 record and a Wild Card berth in his first season on the job, and Dallas made it to the second round of the playoffs where they fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in seven games.
The team was off to an 18-11-3 start in his second season on the bench, but Montgomery was dismissed in December 2019 for "unprofessional conduct." He later revealed that he had a drinking problem and went to rehab.
"Losing my job as head coach of the Dallas Stars last month was a wake-up call. It was also the appropriate call," Montgomery said after his firing. "I let the team's front office, staff and players down. More importantly, I let my wife and my family down. The team's decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help."
He wasn't out of the league for long, hired by the St. Louis Blues in September 2020. He worked on Craig Berube's staff for the last two years, and is now getting his second chance in the NHL.
Before being hired by the Stars, Montgomery had a successful five-year run as head coach at the University of Denver, leading the Pioneers to an NCAA title in 2017. Denver made the tournament in all five of his season's on the bench and a pair of Frozen Four appearances.
Montgomery also won an NCAA Championship as a player at the University of Maine in 1993.
