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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNNov 19, 2024, 04:41 PM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The Boston Bruins have fired coach Jim Montgomery after stumbling to a losing record in their first 20 games, the team announced Tuesday.
Associate coach Joe Sacco was elevated to interim head coach. The Bruins are off to an 8-9-3 start (.475 points percentage) and outside of a playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
General manager Don Sweeney called the move “a difficult decision.”
“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,” Sweeney said in a statement.
Sacco was previously coach of the Colorado Avalanche from 2009 to 2013 and has been a part of the Boston coaching staff since 2014. The 55-year-old had a 13-year NHL playing career with five teams from 1990 to 2003.
“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,” Sweeney said. “We will continue to work to make the necessary adjustments to meet the standard and performance our supportive fans expect.”
Montgomery, 55, had a 120-41-23 record (.715 points percentage) in three seasons with the Bruins, making the playoffs twice. Both trips to the postseason ended at the hands of the Florida Panthers. Boston was stunned in a seven-game, first-round upset in 2023 after having the most successful regular season in NHL history (135 points), and again earlier this year losing to Florida in the second round after eliminating the Maple Leafs in seven games.
Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2022-23. He previously coached the Dallas Stars for two seasons (2018-20)…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/42490989/boston-bruins-fire-coach-jim-montgomery-20-games
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-11-19 21:45:00
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