"I'm very grateful for the insight that he gave me walking into the job here in Boston," Montgomery said on the latest episode of "The Chirp with Daren Millard" podcast. Montgomery was hired July 1 to replace Cassidy after two seasons as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues. Cassidy was fired by the Bruins on June 6.
"Actually, I almost bought his house, I walked through his house," Montgomery said. "I live in the same town he lived in Boston with his family. I just don't make as much money, couldn't afford it."
Montgomery also discussed the Bruins leadership and the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic, which will be between the Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Fenway Park on Jan. 2 (2 p.m. ET; TNT, TVAS, SN).
"It's like you're in the middle of a Super Bowl, in the middle of a rock concert with 60,000 people there," said Montgomery, who was at the 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic with the Blues, who defeated the Minnesota Wild 6-4 at Target Field in Minneapolis.
"We're going to be playing in Fenway Park, the oldest ballpark in North America. You think about all the great Red Sox, Yankees, the World Series the Red Sox have won there. Now we're going to play a Winter Classic, the biggest event in the NHL in the middle of the season before the playoffs begin. And you're going to be part of it in a storied city with rabid fans against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby. Attitude to gratitude, very grateful to be part of it."
The Bruins (25-4-2) lead the Atlantic Division and have yet to lose a game in regulation at TD Garden (17-0-2). Montgomery credited Boston's veterans, starting with its captain.
"Our players are led by Patrice Bergeron, but he has about 10 foot soldiers strong underneath him, about what it means to be a Boston Bruin," Montgomery said. "It starts with off ice, how they treat each other, respect, how everyone's supposed to know each other's name. It goes a long way. You look at professionalism and the commitment to how they practice, to how they go about their business. that's why in the third period we play our best because when things are on the line and they're a very hard and tough-minded group that expects to have success."
"The Chirp with Daren Millard" features interviews with players, executives, alumni and other personalities around the game and is available now on multiple iOS and Android podcast apps. You can share your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #ChirpMillard.
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