The Boston Bruins announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have fired head coach Jim Montgomery and are replacing him with associate coach Joe Sacco on an interim basis.
Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, November 19, that the team has relieved Jim Montgomery of his duties as Head Coach.
Associate Coach Joe Sacco will assume interim head coaching duties.
?: https://t.co/g6eGJ3bmZx pic.twitter.com/x41b6SjbYL
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 19, 2024
The Bruins have not been off to a great start in the first 20 games of the season. With a record of 8-9-3, they sit with 19 points and are in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. So why would they fire their head coach?
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Because it has not looked pretty, there are too many inconsistencies from game to game. Defensively, this team is underperforming under Montgomery, and General Manager Don Sweeney felt it was best to make a change and believes interim head coach Joe Sacco can turn things around.
Don Sweeney in a press release: “Today, I made a very difficult decision regarding a coaching change. Jim Montgomery is a very good NHL coach and an even better person. He has made a positive impact throughout the Bruins organization, and I am both grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to work with him and learn from him.
Our team’s inconsistency and performance in the first 20 games of the 2024-25 season has been concerning and below how the Bruins want to reward our fans. I believe Joe Sacco has the coaching experience to bring the players and the team back to focusing on the consistent effort the NHL requires to have success. We will continue to work to make the necessary adjustments to meet the standard and performance our supportive fans expect.”
?Night Cap Recap ?
Boston Bruins Fire Jim Montgomery #nhlbruins @bodkins_nick @bigapplehockey @MurphysLaw74 pic.twitter.com/Fi1o9K22PL
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) November 19, 2024
In addition, President of Hockey Operations Cam Neely supported his general manager’s decision and felt a new voice would help the team.
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Cam Neely in a press release: “On behalf of the Boston Bruins, we thank Jim Montgomery for his accomplishments and impact on our organization. Jim’s open and honest communication with players, staff and management, as well as the positive attitude that he brought to the rink every day, helped lead our franchise to several on-ice accolades, including a historic 65-win season in 2022-23. We wish Jim and his family the best moving forward both personally and professionally.
I’m supportive of Don’s decision to address our current play and performance. Joe Sacco has a wealth of experience and knowledge of our roster and can help lead our team in the right direction. He has a strong understanding of our standards and expectations, and I trust he will do all he can to accomplish our organization’s goals this season.”
If you look at what Montgomery did in Boston, he has a record of 120-41-23. That is a .715 winning percentage. That is really good for three seasons as an NHL head coach.
In 184 games, the #NHLBruins lost just 41 times in regulation under Jim Montgomery.
41 times in 184 games.
120-41-23 record for .715 points percentage.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 19, 2024
Remember, he took over right before the 2022-23 season, where he replaced Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy was fired by the Bruins and then went to the Vegas Golden Knights, winning the Stanley Cup in his first season.
Last two Bruins head coaches:
Bruce Cassidy…245-108-46 (.672 P% & .614 W%).
Jim Montgomery… 120-41-23 (.715P% & .656W%).Montgomery had best record in NHL, but was canned. Cassidy 2nd best in his time.
What is going in Boston? #NHL— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) November 19, 2024
Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award in his first season with the Bruins, and they also won the President’s Trophy that season. It is crazy how things work for coaches who win the award.
In May 2023, the NHL announced its finalists for the Jack Adams as coach of the year: Jim Montgomery, Dave Hakstol and Lindy Ruff.
Just 18 months later, all three have since been fired.
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) November 19, 2024
The Bruins made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, but they lost to the Florida Panthers in six games. In the first round, they beat their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The year before, the Bruins lost to the Panthers in Round 1 in Game 7 in overtime after blowing a 3-1 series lead.
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Entering the season with no contract extension, Montgomery was on the hot seat whether people wanted to admit it or not. If things started off poorly, they could fire a lame-duck head coach.
If you had told me even two months ago that Jim Montgomery would be the first coach fired and I would COMPLETELY agree with the decision…almost unfathomable. That’s how poorly this season has gone
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) November 19, 2024
Add in the fact that he did not get to hire his own staff, and the writing was on the wall from the start.
The fact that Jim Montgomery was never allowed to hire his own staff was always a bad sign for his future with the #NHLBruins. @sickpodnhl
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) November 19, 2024
Joe Sacco comes in to write the ship. He has been an associate/assistant coach with the Bruins since 2014.