Montgomery calls events that led him to coaching Blues, ‘crazy, crazy’

NEW YORK -- Jim Montgomery didn't have too much time to think about his next move, if he should decompress and spend time with his family, or if he should seek another coaching job this season.

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong called Montgomery soon after he was fired by the Boston Bruins on Nov. 19, laid out a plan, told the coach why he had to be a part of it, offered a five-year contract and that was pretty much that.

"When 'Army' called I thought this was a social call of, 'Hey, I've been there, keep your head up, take a breath, enjoy the family,'" Montgomery said. "I got a lot of those text messages and calls. Once it turned to business the engine and my blood started pumping.

"Army, he's very persuasive."

Montgomery was hired by the Blues and signed to a five-year contract Sunday, replacing Drew Bannister, who was fired after coaching the team for 76 games, including to a 9-12-1 record this season.

Montgomery left his family in Boston and met with the team at its hotel in New York on Sunday night. He was at Madison Square Garden early Monday, wearing his team-issued shorts and sweatshirt as he addressed the media an hour or so before the players even arrived at the arena.

He ran the Blues through a morning skate and will coach his first game behind St. Louis' bench against the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, MSG) exactly one week after his last game behind the Bruins bench, nine days after coaching against the Blues.

"Crazy. Crazy," Montgomery said about the past week. "There's no other word for it. A lot of emotions. I'm a firm believer when one door closes another one opens if you do the right thing. And it's about your relationships in life. At the end of the day when we're all done and retired and we're not fortunate enough and privileged enough to be in NHL buildings again, it's the relationships you have in your life."

Montgomery said yes to Armstrong largely because of the relationships he had formed from his time as a Blues assistant under Craig Berube from 2020-22.

Fifteen players on the Blues roster played for the team at some point during Montgomery's two-year stint as an assistant, including captain Brayden Schenn, alternates Robert Thomas, Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko, goalie Jordan Binnington and leading scorer Jordan Kyrou (18 points).

Tom Stillman is still the majority owner. The hockey operations department that Armstrong leads is the same now as it was then. Steve Ott and David Alexander remain from the coaching staff. Another former Bruins coach, Claude Julien, is a part of it now.

"It's great to come to the rink with people that are trying to push the players to be the best version they can be," Montgomery said. "I've worked with over half this lineup already and I know how committed they are to playing the right way and the type of people they are. So, for me this was a no-brainer to be able to come back home and be a Blue again."

Montgomery said it'll be a benefit for him to go from one job to another so quickly even though it means living away from his family for the rest of the season. They will remain in Boston until the summer so his kids can stay in school and keep their normal routines and activities.

"I think it helps because you don't lose sight of the schedule, the energy, the importance of how you need to touch different players and different lines and talk to your leaders and captains," Montgomery said. "All those things, it's easily transferrable and you don't get a chance to take a breath and get away from it. So, I do think it's an advantage."

He said his first task is to reconnect with the players he knows from his time as a Blues assistant and to get to know the players who are newer to the team.

That started Sunday, when he held a team meeting. Montgomery said there were a lot of smiles in the room.

"When someone of that caliber is available and knows the team so well, knows the players, knows the staff, the whole organization and really believes in it, that's the message that comes to the room," Thomas said. "That's a message that brings a ton of energy into this room."

But the Blues are different now than they were a few seasons ago.

They made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of Montgomery's seasons as an assistant; today St. Louis is sixth in the Central Division with 19 points, one win in its past four games, two in nine (2-6-1) and four in 13 since Oct. 26 (4-9-1).

The Blues are 30th in the NHL in goals per game (2.36), 25th in goals against (3.36) and power play (16.7 percent), and 24th on the penalty kill (75.9 percent).

Montgomery becoming available is the main reason the coaching change was made, but those statistics and their record certainly played a role in it too.

"We know we have to play better and we still hold ourselves accountable," Schenn said. "I don't think we sit here and say we're going to let ourselves off the hook just because they got their guy. …We have to be a whole lot better, myself included."

Montgomery was asked if he thinks the Blues can be a playoff team this season.

"I don't know the ceiling yet, so I can't answer that definitively," he said. "I believe in this group. It's not easy to make the playoffs in this league, half the teams miss it, but I do in time think this is a playoff-caliber team."

That doesn't mean this season, which is why the five-year contract means so much to Montgomery.

The commitment from the team in him gives Montgomery the confidence to know he can coach both for today to try to improve and be a playoff team while also coaching for tomorrow so the Blues develop the right way and can become a consistent contender again.

"Whether I'm on the end of a one-year deal or have a five-year deal it's not going to change the way I do things with the process and the results; I expect that to drive success," Montgomery said. "But when you have a five-year deal, you can afford to be a little more patient."