Former Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery Hired By St. Louis Blues

Jim Montgomery wasn’t out of work for long.

Five days after being fired by the Boston Bruins, Montgomery signed a five-year contract to become the head coach of the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.

BREAKING NEWS: Drew Bannister has been relieved of his coaching duties. Jim Montgomery has been named the 28th head coach in franchise history. https://t.co/72NdjNpjaw #stlblues

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 24, 2024

The Bruins had a disappointing 8-9-3 start to the season under Montgomery and chose to fire him with the roster playing an uncharacteristically uninspired brand of hockey.

Must Read: Jim Montgomery is Gone, But The Bruins’ Biggest Issues Still Remain

But only two years removed from winning the Jack Adams Award, Montgomery was never going to have to wait to land a new job and the Blues weren’t willing to either.

Sitting at 9-12-1 and five points outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference, St. Louis has lost seven of its last 10 games, ultimately leading them to fire Drew Bannister after just 22 games.

St. Louis is actually where Montgomery’s NHL career began as a player in 1993.  He still owns a home there, which he lives in during the offseason. Montgomery also worked as an assistant coach for the Blues from 2020-22 under Craig Berube before being hired by the Bruins.

The Blues now have two former Bruins head coaches on their staff, with Claude Julien already working for them as an assistant coach.

Montgomery amassed an overall record of 120-41-2 with the Bruins and made the playoffs in each of his two full seasons with the club. In 2022-23, he led the Bruins to the best regular season record in NHL history.

The Blues are now the third team that Montgomery has served as the head coach for in his career, along with the Bruins and Dallas Stars.

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