Brad Marchand, $90M Bruins star make their feelings known about Jim Montgomery's firing

By Mike Whitaker

Modified Nov 21, 2024 01:44 GMT

In a move that sent shockwaves throughout the National Hockey League, the Boston Bruins dismissed head coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday after a sluggish start to the 2024-25 season. He's been replaced by longtime Bruins assistant Joe Sacco.

The Bruins are 8-9-3 in the first 20 games of the campaign, and the latest setback was an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on home ice.

Boston general manager Don Sweeney announced the change in leadership and also put Bruins players on notice by hinting at additional changes if their on-ice fortunes didn't improve.

David Pastrnak, who is on a eight-year, $90,000,000 contract, reacted with a somber attitude toward the news of Montgomery's dismissal, noting the difficulty of having to part ways with someone they liked and respected.

"We weren't getting the job done, and because we weren’t getting it done, we lost a great coach and a great human being," Pastrnak said.

Bruins captain Brad Marchand said it was a "crappy" day while taking responsibility as the players who have to perform.

"This is a reflection of our play and it was avoidable," he said. "And I think that’s the tough part about this, is that if we would have done our job in here, he’d still be around."

“So you feel terrible as a group, individually, that we let a really good coach and a really good person down. And the effect it has, not just on him, but on his family. It’s a crappy day.”

Montgomery earned an impressive .715 winning percentage during his time with the Bruins, which began in the 2022-23 season; he coached them to an NHL-record 65 victories.

David Pastrnak was benched by now-former Bruins coach Jim Montgomery earlier this season

During a November 3 matchup against the Seattle Kraken, Pastrnak was benched by Montgomery after a brutal turnover led to a prime scoring opportunity for Seattle. Not long afterward, the Czech star took accountability for his mistake.

“Honestly, I’ve just got to be better,” Pastrnak said. “You know, [I] take responsibility of being better, but at the same time, I’m just moving forward. Today [I’m] focusing on another game tomorrow, and yesterday was yesterday. I never look back.”

It wasn't the first time this season that a top Bruins player ran afoul of the now-former coach. On October 24, cameras caught Montgomery yelling at Marchand on the bench during a game against the Utah Hockey Club.

“It’s unfortunate how coaches are scrutinized over things like that,” Marchand said following the incident. “There’s a lack of accountability nowadays because people can’t handle the heat. You make a mistake like that, you deserve to hear about it.”

The Bruins now move forward with Sacco behind their bench, hosting Utah on Thursday night.