Featured Columnist IVNovember 24, 2024
John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe by way of Getty Pictures
It did not take lengthy for Jim Montgomery to seek out his new house.
The St. Louis Blues announced Sunday they fired head coach Drew Bannister simply 22 video games into the season and employed Montgomery to interchange him on a five-year contract. Montgomery was out there as a result of the Boston Bruins fired him following an 8-9-3 to the 2024-25 marketing campaign.
It appeared like Bannister had the Blues heading in the right direction final season when he posted a 30-19-5 document because the interim coach after the workforce fired Craig Berube. Whereas St. Louis nonetheless missed the playoffs, it elevated expectations heading into the brand new season.
Issues haven’t gone as deliberate.
St. Louis is simply 9-12-1 total and has received a complete of two video games since bettering to 7-6-0 with a Nov. 5 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s in sixth place within the Central Division and is already 5 factors out of a wild-card spot within the Western Convention.
Whereas there may be loads of time to show issues round, it is not on a regular basis a coach with Montgomery’s resume is on the market in the course of a season.
Boston went 65-12-5 and took house the Presidents’ Trophy in his first season because the workforce’s coach in 2022-23. He was awarded the 2022-23 Jack Adams Award for coach of the 12 months after breaking the document for essentially the most wins by a coach in a primary season with a workforce.
The Bruins additionally made the playoffs in his second season with a 47-20-15 document, though the postseason performances had been a priority.
Somewhat, the Florida Panthers had been a priority.
Florida shocked the Presidents’ Trophy workforce within the first spherical in 2023 after which eradicated the Bruins once more within the second spherical final season. The Panthers ended up profitable the Stanley Cup in 2024, which is one thing the Bruins have not executed since 2011.
It wasn’t way back that St. Louis was holding up the Stanley Cup in 2019, and it is going to be as much as Montgomery to return the franchise to that commonplace.
He’s accustomed to the Blues, as he performed 67 video games for the workforce throughout his rookie season in an NHL profession that additionally included stops with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He was additionally an assistant coach in St. Louis for 2 seasons (2020-22) throughout a stretch that included a formidable 109-point whole in 2021-22.
Montgomery was additionally the top coach for the Stars for 114 video games in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and went 60-43-10.
