Blues relieve Drew Bannister of coaching duties; hire Jim Montgomery as Head Coach

St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced this morning that the team has relieved Drew Bannister of his coaching duties. In addition, the Blues have signed Jim Montgomery to a five-year contract to become the 28^th head coach in franchise history.

Montgomery, 55, has spent the previous two-plus seasons with the Boston Bruins. During his tenure, the Montreal, Quebec, native led the Bruins to the top regular-season record and point total in the NHL (120-41-23, 263 points) as well as consecutive playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024. In 2022-23, he guided the Bruins to the Presidents’ Trophy after a record-breaking season. The team went 65-12-5, setting new records for both wins and total points (135) while Montgomery broke the mark for the most wins by a coach in their first season with a team. For his efforts, Montgomery captured the 2022-23 Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. Prior to his tenure in Boston, he posted a 60-43-10 regular-season record across two seasons as head coach of the Dallas Stars before joining the Blues for two seasons as an assistant coach (2020-22). During his time with the Blues, the team posted a 76-42-20 regular-season record, including a 109-point effort in 2021-22 that tied the third highest regular-season point total in franchise history.

Montgomery began his coaching career in the college ranks, including roles as an assistant at Notre Dame and R.P.I. He then moved on to take the head position with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he captured the USHL’s Clark Cup in two of his three seasons with the team (2011, 2013). In 2013, Montgomery took over at the University of Denver where he spent five seasons and led the team to the 2017 NCAA National Championship.

As a player, Montgomery enjoyed a 12-year career, including stints in Germany, Russia and North America. He appeared in 122 NHL regular-season games, including 67 with the Blues during his rookie season.