‘We won’t let ourselves off the hook because they got their guy’: Blues players react to coaching change

Jonny Lazarus
Jonny Lazarus
St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery

There has certainly been an uptick in NHL coaches being fired over the past few seasons, but nothing quite like what we witnessed on Sunday morning. Drew Bannister was let go of his duties by the St. Louis Blues, but it wasn’t performance-based; rather, general manager Doug Armstrong explained was able to get who they felt was the best guy available by pivoting to Jim Montgomery, who had been fired by the Boston Bruins five days earlier.

The sentiment was similar among the Blues players. Saying goodbye to Bannister was bittersweet.

“I feel bad for Banny, obviously him and his family,” Blues defenseman Matthew Kessel told Daily Faceoff. “He was a great coach for me for the start of my pro career.”

Bannister coached Kessel during his time with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds before the two of them made their eventual jump to the Blues in the 2023-24 season. For Kessel, this is his first true experience with a coach he’s had at the pro level being fired, and while it’s an adjustment for him, he understands the excitement for the return of Montgomery. 

“He’s had probably over half the guys here with St. Louis or other teams like Dallas [Radek Faksa], but everyone likes him a lot and we’re all really excited,” Kessel said. 

While this is a new feeling for a guy like Kessel, it’s not something that the Blues’ captain, Brayden Schenn, is unfamiliar with. But even for him, the nature of Bannister’s firing was unprecedented. Typically, you see coaches get pink-skipped when a team is playing poorly and things aren’t clicking. While some of that might be true for this year’s Blues team, which started 9-12-1, that wasn’t the No. 1 reason why this change was made. 

“This one does feel different for sure,” Schenn said. “We know we have to play better; we’re still going to hold ourselves accountable. I don’t think we’re going to sit here and let ourselves off the hook just because they got their guy.”

The Blues are not happy with where they currently stand, and because many guys in that room have won with this organization, the players need to hold themselves to a higher standard no matter who the coach is. 

“It’s on us to create the energy with him,” Schenn said. 

In his 298 games in the NHL as a head coach, Montgomery has earned a regular season record of 180-84-33, so the proof is in the pudding that he finds success behind the bench. While he doesn’t have a Stanley Cup ring to show for it just yet, the fact that Doug Armstrong signed him to a five-year deal shows the faith that he can get this organization back there with time. 

“He’s detailed and structured, but at the same time, he lets his guys play hockey,” Schenn said of Montgomery’s coaching style. “He wants his creative guys to be creative; he wants his guys that play hard to be aggressive — everything within the system. He doesn’t want everyone to play the same, he doesn’t want everyone to be robotic out there — that was his messaging.” 

” ‘I’m going to hold you accountable for things I don’t want, but at the same time, you have to go out there and make plays and play hockey,’ ” Schenn said when asked to describe exactly Montgomery’s messaging was. 

Montgomery was very energetic at the Blues’ morning skate on Monday at Madison Square Garden, which guys like Schenn can expect due to their previous experience with him as their assistant coach from 2020-2022. 

“He’s a fun guy to be around, he’s energetic, but at the same time, you have to respect him as your boss — a guy that you want to play hard for.” 

We’ll see the kind of energy that the Blues bring tonight at the world’s most famous arena against a New York Rangers team that is struggling. 
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