The Boston Bruins fired head coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday evening. It was a move expected from fans after a disappointing start to the 2024-25 campaign. Boston is 8-9-3 following a lopsided loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. No one expected this development, and captain Brad Marchand believes it didn’t need to happen.
Marchand spoke for the first time since the firing on Wednesday. And he certainly did not hold back when discussing his thoughts on the matter. He said Montgomery’s firing is a reflection of poor play on the ice. Moreover, the Bruins captain believes the team let their former coach down.
“Very disappointing day, and also very frustrating is this [is] a reflection of our play,” Brad Marchand said. “And it was avoidable. That’s the tough part about this is that if we had done our job in here, he would still be around, so [we] feel terrible as a group, individually that we let a really good coach and a really good person down and the effect it has not just on him, but on his family. It’s a crappy day.”
Jim Montgomery broke records during Bruins’ tenure
Jim Montgomery became Bruins head coach ahead of the 2022-23 campaign after spending time with the St. Louis Blues. Montgomery had head coaching experience in the past. He was behind the bench with the Dallas Stars, spending parts of two seasons with them before being fired.
Montgomery took over a Bruins team looking to make a deep run. They made the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 but lost in seven games to the Blues. Boston had fired Bruce Cassidy with the hope that a new voice in the locker room would spark the roster.
In a way, it did. Montgomery’s Bruins hit the ground running in 2022-23, completely dominating the league. They didn’t slow down, either. Boston went on to set the record for most wins (65) and points (135) by a team in a single season.
Unfortunately, the magic ran out in the postseason. Boston fell to the Florida Panthers in the first round in 2023, blowing a 3-1 series lead. In 2024, they once again lost to the Panthers, this time in round two. Florida went on to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final and won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2024.
Montgomery could not survive a poor start in 2024-25 with expectations remaining high. However, he should certainly find work elsewhere with another team. And it will certainly be interesting to see which team comes calling for his services next.
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