The Boston Bruins have fired coach Jim Montgomery after stumbling to a shedding file of their first 20 video games, the staff introduced Tuesday.
Affiliate coach Joe Sacco was elevated to interim head coach. The Bruins are off to an 8-9-3 begin (.475 factors proportion) and out of doors of a playoff seed within the Japanese Convention.
Common supervisor Don Sweeney known as the transfer “a troublesome determination.”
“Jim Montgomery is an excellent NHL coach and a fair higher individual. He has made a constructive affect all through the Bruins group, and I’m each grateful and appreciative of the chance to work with him and be taught from him,” Sweeney mentioned in an announcement.
Sacco was beforehand coach of the Colorado Avalanche from 2009 to 2013 and has been part of the Boston teaching employees since 2014. The 55-year-old had a 13-year NHL enjoying profession with 5 groups from 1990 to 2003.
“Our staff’s inconsistency and efficiency within the first 20 video games of the 2024-25 season has been regarding and beneath how the Bruins wish to reward our followers. I consider Joe Sacco has the teaching expertise to carry the gamers and the staff again to specializing in the constant effort the NHL requires to have success,” Sweeney mentioned. “We’ll proceed to work to make the mandatory changes to fulfill the usual and efficiency our supportive followers anticipate.”
Montgomery, 55, had a 120-41-23 file (.715 factors proportion) in three seasons with the Bruins, making the playoffs twice. Each journeys to the postseason ended by the hands of the Florida Panthers. Boston was shocked in a seven-game, first-round upset in 2023 after having probably the most profitable common season in NHL historical past (135 factors), and once more earlier this yr when it misplaced to Florida within the second spherical after eliminating the Maple Leafs in seven video games.
Montgomery gained the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the yr in 2022-23. He beforehand coached the Dallas Stars for 2 seasons (2018-20), amassing a file of 60-43-10.
As Montgomery chronicled in his 2023 NHL Awards speech, his success in Boston got here after he turned his private life round. “Three and a half years in the past, the Dallas Stars terminated my contract due to my struggles with alcohol,” he mentioned. “And I needed to change my actions and behaviors.”
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Regardless of Sweeney saying the edges have been discussing an extension throughout coaching camp, Montgomery did not have a contract past the 2024-25 season.
The Bruins have been one of many NHL’s most notable disappointments this season. They’re thirty first in staff offense (2.40 targets per sport) and twenty eighth in protection (3.45 targets in opposition to per sport).
Beforehand reliable elements of the staff have malfunctioned, particularly the goaltending. The staff traded former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators for goalie Joonas Korpisalo. The Ullmark deal broke up one of the best goalie tandem within the NHL with 26-year-old Jeremy Swayman, who missed coaching camp throughout a bitter negotiation earlier than signing an eight-year contract that can pay him $66 million.
Swayman has a 5-7-2 file with an .884 save proportion and a 3.47 goals-against common. After the Bruins misplaced to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 on Monday, Montgomery mentioned lacking coaching camp wasn’t advantageous.
“I do not assume lacking coaching camp helps anybody,” Montgomery mentioned. “That is why you might have coaching camps.”
Montgomery has been seen having animated discussions with captain Brad Marchand on the Boston bench a number of occasions this season. He additionally benched main objective scorer David Pastrnak in a sport earlier this month.
Montgomery’s firing is the primary teaching change of the 2024-25 season. Sacco is the fourth head coach underneath Sweeney for the reason that GM took over in 2015.
“I am supportive of Don’s determination to handle our present play and efficiency,” staff president Cam Neely mentioned in an announcement. “Joe Sacco has a wealth of expertise and information of our roster and may also help lead our staff in the precise path. He has a powerful understanding of our requirements and expectations, and I belief he’ll do all he can to perform our group’s targets this season.”
