Montgomery of Bruins wins Jack Adams Award as top coach in NHL

NASHVILLE -- For Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins, winning the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year at the 2023 NHL Awards was about much more than their historic regular season on the ice.

It was personal.

Montgomery said the hockey accomplishment had extra meaning after he overcame struggles with alcohol abuse to get another chance to coach in the NHL.

"For those who struggle out there, you can change," Montgomery said in his emotional speech on the stage at Bridgestone Arena on Monday. "You can affect change within yourself, and it doesn't happen alone. You need a team and a community. … And I cannot do it without my family."

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Montgomery was fired by the Dallas Stars on Dec. 10, 2019, in his second season, and their general manager Jim Nill said the coach was relieved of his duties for "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Stars and National Hockey League." Soon afterward, Montgomery checked into an inpatient rehab center for alcohol abuse, followed by outpatient treatment.

After recovering, Montgomery returned to coaching when he was hired by the St. Louis Blues as an assistant coach on Sept. 16, 2020. Montgomery was then hired to replace Bruce Cassidy as the Bruins coach on June 30, 2022 before guiding them to the most wins (65) and points (135) in a single season in NHL history during his first season with Boston.

"There is a little disbelief, especially if you think back to my darkest hour, three and a half years ago, for sure there is," Montgomery said after the awards show. "I didn't know if I'd ever coach again, never mind this League, any league. … Personally, being able to have this second chance opportunity … it's an attitude of gratitude."

Montgomery went on to thank his wife, four children, his 91-year-old mother watching from home in Montreal, the rest of his large family, the Blues organization and mentioned many other members of his support system with his various nicknames of people who helped him turn his life around.

"For me, it hits home a little bit more because I've had it in my family as well," Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark said of Montgomery's struggles with alcoholism. "[Montgomery] is very open about it, which makes you trust him. For me to trust him and he can trust us, you build that relationship and connection towards each other that is so important to a team environment - that I really appreciate."

The 53-year-old is the fifth Bruins coach to win the award and first since Cassidy in 2019-20.

Boston won the Presidents' Trophy for the NHL's best record (65-12-5) this regular season before losing to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven games. Boston had an NHL-record 14-game home winning streak from the start of the season and five winning streaks of at least seven games. The Bruins also became the fourth team in the modern era (since 1943-44) to lead a division all season.

"It's such a dedicated group and it was so much fun," Montgomery said. "It's like going to Disney World every day because there was a different ride, a different person that was pushing the gas to success."

Montgomery received 79 of the 81 first-place votes for a total of 404 points. Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils was the runner-up with 127 points; Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken finished third with 73 points in voting for the Adams Award, which was voted by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association prior to the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.; Ruff and Hakstol each received one first-place vote.

Earlier in the night, Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie, and Bruins center Patrice Bergeron won the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward for the sixth time. Forward David Pastrnak was a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player and also the Ted Lindsay Award voted most outstanding player by the NHL Players' Association.

"You can always tell when a coach wins an award because he has a great speech, and they know how to do it," Pastrnak said of Montgomery. "But obviously, Monty: well-deserved. I'm very happy for him and his family."

NHL.com staff writer David Satriano contributed to this report

Video: Montgomery talks Adams Award, Bruins historic season