Zizing 'Em Up: Bruins coach Montgomery's road back began with Blues

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Sunday during the season, he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts to write his weekly notes column, "Zizing 'Em Up."

TORONTO -- All Jim Montgomery wanted was an opportunity to prove himself, one precious chance to show that he'd learned from his mistakes.
St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong gave him one.
And now, 31 months after Armstrong opened the door for him to revive his coaching career, Montgomery leads the Boston Bruins into the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the heels of a regular season when his team set NHL single-season records for wins (65) and points (135). They will face the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference First Round, with Game 1 in Boston on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, NESN, BSFL).
"It's been enjoyable to watch," Armstrong told NHL.com on Friday. "I believe in second chances. I believe people deserve to get them.
"He did the rest."
He needed to in order to pick up the shattered pieces of his life and career.
Montgomery's roller-coaster ride began Dec. 10, 2019, when he was fired in his second season as coach of the Dallas Stars. The dismissal had nothing to do with hockey; the Stars were 60-43-10 in his 113 games.
But this was much more serious.
General manager Jim Nill said Montgomery had been relieved of his duties for "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League." Soon afterward, Montgomery checked into an inpatient rehab center for alcohol abuse, followed by outpatient treatment.
He'd been down and out, and now was trying to get back on his feet again. He went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings every day. He and wife Emily saw a therapist. He was trying to be a better husband, a better dad, a better person. But would it be enough to reestablish a career in hockey that had absorbed a punch in the gut, albeit of his own doing?
Enter Armstrong.
"I'd admired his hockey record as a coach," he said. "You're always looking to bring in smart hockey people into a hockey environment."
Armstrong had heard encouraging things about Montgomery. Emily was from St. Louis. Word around town was that he'd made a bad mistake but wasn't a bad person.
Armstrong met Montgomery for breakfast one day, followed by a couple of discussions. Soon he brought Blues owner Tom Stillman into the talks. Finally, on Sept. 16, 2020, Montgomery was signed to a two-year contract to be an assistant on coach Craig Berube's staff.
"Again, second chances are important in life and people make mistakes," Armstrong said. "People make mistakes that only they know about. But with 'Monty,' it got into the public eye. And without second opportunities, I don't think anyone can go through life without a second opportunity.
"All I can say is that the guy I worked with was a really hard worker. I learned to appreciate the thing that I'd heard about which was his attention to detail to connect with players. It's very difficult to try to meet guys halfway. I think that's one of the strengths he has.
"All great coaches have non-negotiable things like that, and Monty does too but he also understands that and knows it can be a partnership if the other people are willing to work. In the end, he had great growth with our group."
The Bruins thought so too and hired the father of four July 1, 2022, to replace Bruce Cassidy. The rest is history, of course, and Armstrong says he's enjoyed watching the 53-year-old and the Bruins make some of their own.
"I think it's a success story," Armstrong said. "At the same time, I don't want to speak for Monty, but I think this is a secondary part of the success story because this is about his family. He didn't do this for hockey. He did it for his family.
"We all have things we battle every day, and you continue to battle every day. I'm glad it's working out for his hockey life but not nearly as happy as I am for he and his family."
A life, on and off the ice, that is flourishing because of Armstrong's willingness to provide a second chance.

COACHING CAROUSEL

Montgomery should be the overwhelming favorite to win the Jack Adams Award as the top coach, especially because some of us (guilty as charged) thought the aging Bruins would take a step back this season.
Could we have been more wrong?
Having said that, there are a number of coaches who deserve recognition for their fine work during the regular season.
Try to follow the dominoes here:
Montgomery replaced Cassidy after last season and led the Bruins to the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the NHL (65-12-5).
Cassidy went to the Vegas Golden Knights to replace Peter DeBoer and guided them to a 111-point season (51-22-9) and the Pacific Division title.
DeBoer headed to Dallas to replace Rick Bowness and helped the Stars to 107 points (47-21-14) and second place in the Central Division.
Bowness went to the Winnipeg Jets and steered them to 95 points (46-33-3) and second wild card from the Western Conference.
Paul Maurice, who resigned as Jets coach midway through last season, went to the Florida Panthers and led them to a 92-point season (42-32-8) and the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.
The moral of the story: The Bruins, Golden Knights, Stars, Jets and Panthers all qualified for the postseason with new coaches.
One team's castoff can be another team's answer.

NO, CANADA!

One of the popular questions north of the border these days is why a Canada-based team has not won the Stanley Cup in three decades. It hasn't happened since Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy led the Montreal Canadiens to the championship in 1993.
What's lost in the sea of conspiracy theories being bandied about is that there have been plenty of chances to do it, only to end up in crushing heartbreak, including a handful of failures in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
In 1994, the Vancouver Canucks tied the Final against the New York Rangers with wins in Games 5 and 6 before losing 3-2 in the deciding game.
In 2004, the Calgary Flames were up 3-2 in the Final only to lose the next two to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In 2006, the Edmonton Oilers came back from trailing 3-1 in the Final to force Game 7 but fell to the Carolina Hurricanes.
In 2011, the Canucks, winners of the Presidents' Trophy, lost 4-0 to the Bruins at home in Game 7.
On two other occasions, Canada-based teams lost in Finals that didn't go the distance: the Ottawa Senators to the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 (five games), and the Canadiens to the Lightning in 2021 (five games).
The point is, there have been chances. In each instance, the teams didn't take advantage of them. No excuses. It's a fact.
Last season, the Connor McDavid-led Oilers got to the Western Conference Final before being swept in four games by the eventual-champion Colorado Avalanche. But Colorado is not as strong this time around, with forwards Nazem Kadri (Flames) and Andre Burakovsky (Seattle Kraken) having left via free agency in the offseason and forward Gabriel Landeskog out of the postseason with a knee injury.
The Oilers, Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs are the three Canada representatives in the playoffs this season. Should they come up short, the drought will go into a fourth decade.
Roy said he would never have believed it if you'd told him in 1993 that no Canada-based team would win the Cup for the next 30 years.
"When you make the playoffs," he said, "you've got to make the best of it."

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"I heard they don't like each other very much. I think it's going to be a very cool atmosphere at The Rock (Prudential Center) and it's going to be awesome, so …"
-- New Jersey Devils rookie defenseman Luke Hughes about his team's Eastern Conference First Round series against the rival New York Rangers that begins Tuesday at home

THE SUNDAY LIST

With this being the final Zizing 'Em Up column for the regular season, here are my choices for the NHL's individual awards:
Hart Trophy (MVP): Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers. If you pick anyone else, you are wrong. And please, don't offer up the "There are more valuable players to their teams" debate. Please watch the games. The center is the most talented hockey player on the planet. Case closed.
Norris Trophy (top defenseman): Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks. The critics have a legitimate argument by pointing out he played for one of the least successful teams in the NHL. At the same time, doesn't the lack of talent around him make his feat of becoming the first defenseman in 31 years to get 100 points (101; 25 goals, 76 assists) even more impressive?
Calder Trophy (top rookie): Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers. Kraken forward Matty Beniers is a worthy candidate, but the Oilers wouldn't be where they are without Skinner in goal, especially with the way Jack Campbell struggled in the middle of the season.
Selke Trophy (top defensive forward): Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins. Let's just change the name to the Bergeron Trophy immediately after he retires, whenever that is.
Vezina Trophy (top goalie): Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins. Yes, he only played 49 games. But his ridiculous numbers (40-6-1, 1.89 goals-against average, .938 save percentage) are just too good to ignore.
Jack Adams Award (top coach): Jim Montgomery, Boston Bruins. You're the coach whose team sets single-season records for wins and points, you deserve this.
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship): Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning. Scoring 51 goals and having seven penalty minutes in 82 games adds up to the center winning this award.