Montgomery Introduced as 29th Head Coach in Bruins History

BOSTON - Jim Montgomery is no stranger to New England.
The 53-year-old spent four years at the University of Maine from 1989-93, helping the Black Bears to a National Championship - he potted a hat trick in the third period of the title game - during his senior season.
As such, he is keenly familiar with the passion and intensity with which this region embraces its teams. Though some 30 years after he last suited up in Orono, Montgomery got a refresher with a trip to Fenway Park on Saturday night for the Red Sox' extra-inning victory over the rival New York Yankees.

"The Sox came back and won in the 10th inning, so things have started out well here in Boston," said Montgomery, "We're excited, with this rabid fan base in this great city of Boston, to be part of the Bruins family."
Montgomery officially became part of that family on Monday afternoon, as he was formally introduced as the 29th head coach in franchise history by Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, CEO Charlie Jacobs, president Cam Neely, and general manager Don Sweeney during a press conference at TD Garden.
"It's a fantastic opportunity. I guess the words that come to mind are grateful, excited," said Montgomery. "Not many people are given the opportunity to get behind the bench and lead an Original Six team in a great city like Boston with a rabid fanbase and with players who have won before."
Montgomery will be back at the helm after spending the last two seasons with the St. Louis Blues as an assistant coach under Craig Berube. That stint followed some time away from the game after he was dismissed by the Dallas Stars for "unprofessional conduct" in December 2020. Montgomery, who later revealed publicly that he was receiving treatment for a battle with alcoholism, said he is hopeful that his story is one that positively impacts those going through similar struggles.
"I'm very cognizant of the things I've been able to overcome with the help of my wife, my family, my close friends, new friends," said Montgomery, who was joined at the press conference by his wife, Emily, and children JP, Colin, Ava, and Olivia. "I think anybody can achieve good things in life if you're willing to accept change and make change.
"I'm very fortunate that I have a lot of great people in my life, a lot of great mentors. I think that everybody has ups and downs in life. I think if you learn from them - you grow, you get better - I think good things happen. I'm just grateful that it's happened."

Montgomery had a strong first season with Dallas in 2018-19 - his first as an NHL head coach - leading the Stars to a 43-32-7 record and trip to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs where they were eliminated by the eventual Cup-champion Blues in seven games. Dallas was off to a 17-11-0 start in 2019-20 before Montgomery was dismissed.
In the two-plus years since then, Montgomery said he has learned significantly about himself and credited Berube and the St. Louis staff for helping him to further develop as a hockey coach.
"I've grown, I've gotten better, I've learned how to do things better than I've done them previously and also you understand there's things you did extremely well. You just grow a little bit better," said Montgomery. "I think that opportunity with Craig Berube under Doug Armstrong with the St. Louis Blues, the tremendous staff I was around every day - I learned from everyone, and I think I'm in a better position to help the Boston Bruins and in better position to help the players. The staff that I work with, it's going to be a very collaborative effort."
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney went through a lengthy interview process with Montgomery that included at least three separate conversations of at least two hours. And it was during those extended meetings that Sweeney was able to understand Montgomery's vision and philosophy for the Black & Gold, both of which impressed him greatly.
"Jim just resonated with us from his presentation of what he wanted to do, his conviction of getting an opportunity and feeling that he was going to be a much-improved coach in his second opportunity," said Sweeney. "Some of the things that we discussed in the changes that he saw under a head coach in Craig Berube and his staff in St. Louis and what he wanted to bring. Just a constant evolvement of Jim as a hockey coach.
"He's kind of a student of the game in the same way that he's the teacher of the game. All the check points - wanting to create a little bit more, looking at our roster, acknowledging that maybe there's areas that we can continue to improve, but excited about the challenges of working with the players who are currently here as well, and getting to a higher level."
Sweeney was also intrigued by Montgomery's winning history at every level, which includes two Clark Cup titles with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL (2011 and 2013) and an NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver in 2017.
"For us, it just checked off boxes of a winning history, a coach that has an open mind to communication as well as evolving style of play," said Sweeney. "[The Blues] playing against Colorado, breaking that team down to six games and what St. Louis had to do there - and really breaking down our team as well; there's areas of the game that he felt our team needed to improve upon."

One of those areas is at the offensive end. While the Bruins have been a top-tier defensive squad for the better part of a decade, Boston was 15th in goals per game (3.09) in 2021-22, a ranking that both Sweeney and Neely believe can be significantly enhanced, particularly when it comes to generating from the back end.
"Well, obviously getting out of your zone quicker is something that's important," Neely said last week at the NHL Draft in Montreal. "At times, I think we felt we spent a little bit too much time in our zone; even though we weren't maybe giving up Grade-A scoring chances, just more time in the D-zone. And then, on the offensive blue line, I'd like to see our D be a little more active across the blue line.
"I felt at times we were a little too stationary, and maybe that created less opportunities not just for the D to create some offense but also for the forwards as well, so I think those are areas that I think Jim would like to try to implement, where we can get out of our zone a little bit quicker and maybe create a little bit more offense from the blue line."
At the same time, Montgomery acknowledged that he is arriving to take over a team that won 51 games under Bruce Cassidy in 2021-22 and has made the playoffs in six consecutive seasons. As such, he is looking forward to building on the team's existing strengths while also bringing in his own unique style and approach.
"On ice, it's that we're going to compete - that we're going to be a team known for their effort and their execution," Montgomery said when asked what the identity of the Bruins will be under his watch. "I think around the league, I want us to be known as a team that you better be prepared or else you're going to be put on your heels.
"This is a 51-win team last year, so I think the staff did a really good job last year. Moving forward, I think there's areas that, I'm hoping with a new, different style - every coach has a different way of coaching - that it's going to lead to a little more offense."

Montgomery said he has already touched base with roughly half the roster - including captain Patrice Bergeron, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday - as he begins the process of trying to get to know his new players, which include a blend of established veterans like Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall, developing stars like Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak, and young stalwarts like Jeremy Swayman.
"I think you have to listen," Montgomery said of his coaching approach. "I prefer to listen before I speak. I'll turn it back into what is always best for the team after I've listened to suggestions, ideas, or opinions. And we're always going to be in this together, it's always going to be a 'we' culture. But when it comes to accountability and final decisions, I will be firm there.
"Getting everyone to understand their importance to the team's success and how their individual play is vitally important to what we're going to do as a group. The collective effort always is what makes everyone successful. I think anyone who has played a team sport, you love playing a team sport because of the championships you can win."
And in New England, a place Montgomery knows well, that is what matters most.