Report: Boston Bruins close to hiring Jim Montgomery as new head coach
The Boston Bruins are close to hiring Jim Montgomery as their new head coach, according to multiple sources.
Appears @mattmurley19 was first on this, but yes, #NHLBruins seem well down the track on bringing Jim Montgomery aboard as next head coach.
It’s been the long road back for Montgomery, who was fired in Dallas for inappropriate conduct in 2019.
The Bruins had a head coaching vacancy after firing Bruce Cassidy, who was at the helm for six seasons, and never missed the playoffs. Montgomery would become the 29th head coach in the Bruins 98-year history as a franchise.
Montgomery is a somewhat surprise hire for the Bruins, as many reports had their coaching search down to three candidates in David Quinn, Mike Vellucci, and Jay Leach. But, the Bruins seem to have found their coach in Montgomery.
Montgomery has just two years of head coaching experience in the NHL with the Dallas Stars in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, although he had served as the head coach for the University of Denver for the five seasons prior. He had a 60-43-10 record with the Stars, and got the team to the second round of the 2019 playoffs after a surprising upset over the Nashville Predators.
He was fired on December 19, 2019 due to inappropriate conduct, and later checked himself into rehab with alcohol abuse. he was then brought in as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. It’s been a long road to recovery for Montgomery, but he’s finally ready for a second chance in the NHL.
This hiring is another thing off the list of offseason priorities for the Bruins. They already re-signed captain and reigning Selke trophy winner Patrice Bergeron to a one-year contract when many thought he might be retiring, and now they’ve filled their head coaching vacancy. That said, the team still has several key players missing the first couple months of the 2022-23 season, including winger Brad Marchand and defenseman Charlie McAvoy, and have to figure out what they are doing with David Pastrnak, who is entering the final year of his contract.