- The Boston Bruins are off to a slow start, going 8-9-3 in their first 20 games of the season.
- As a result, they have fired head coach Jim Montgomery, who led the Bruins to the most points in the league just two seasons ago.
- Associate head coach Joe Sacco will take over the team in the interim period.
The Boston Bruins have been one of the NHL’s best teams over the last decade. The last time they missed the playoffs was 2015-16, and they went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2018-19, losing in seven games to St. Louis.
The Bruins hired Jim Montgomery in July 2022, and he led them to the best record in the league, although it hasn’t led to playoff success. Boston has stumbled out of the gate this season, and Montgomery has paid for it with his job.
Montgomery, Former Coach of the Year, Couldn’t Stop the Bruins’ Slide
The Bruins announced they were parting ways with Montgomery on Tuesday, November 19.
Boston is off to an 8-9-3 start, which is good for 19 points and fifth in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins are playing woefully bad at both ends of the ice. They rank 30th in goals per game, and 26th in goals allowed per game. If you’re looking at NHL player props, take a look at who is playing the Bruins, and you might have a chance to reap the benefits. Captain Brad Marchand lamented that it wasn’t Montgomery’s fault, and it was on the players. Associate coach Joe Sacco will take over the team for now.
However, something had to be changed, and it’s easier to fire the coach, than it is to get a new team. Montgomery was a redemption story as he was dismissed by Dallas in December 2019, and it was revealed that he had been battling alcohol-abuse issues. The 55-year-old sorted his issues out, and was hired as an assistant to Craig Berube in St. Louis in September 2020.
The Bruins hired Montgomery in June 2022, and he promptly led them to the best record in the league, setting records for most wins and points in a season. Montgomery was named NHL Coach of the Year for his efforts. But the Bruins were eliminated by Florida in the first round, and the next season, the Panthers beat the Bruins, who defeated Toronto in the first round. This season’s slow start was too much to overcome for Montgomery.
Will This Help the Bruins Turn Things Around?
This coaching change might be simply a matter of a team needing a new voice. But Marchand was correct in that the players need to do their jobs better. David Pastrnak has 17 points in 20 games, while the 36-year-old Marchand has 13 points after multiple surgeries in the offseason. However, no one else has more than nine points.
On the back end, Charlie McAvoy is the only one with a positive plus/minus rating, and he’s only at +1. After a contract dispute in the offseason, goalie Jeremy Swayman has a 3.47 goals against average, and an .884 save percentage. Those numbers aren’t good enough for someone who held out and signed a contract for $66 million over eight years.
The Bruins were thought to be one of the favorites in this season’s Stanley Cup odds. They’re aiming to use this rough patch to kickstart their season.
