Legendary hockey coach Don Cherry makes his feelings known after Boston Bruins fire Jim Montgomery

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Nov 29, 2024 12:18 GMT

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Don Cherry reacted to the Boston Bruins firing head coach Jim Montgomery, saying the move was surprising. Cherry mentioned visible frustration within the team and pointed to Montgomery’s benching of Brad Marchand as an example. He also speculated that Montgomery might have had issues with GM Don Sweeney.

Discussing Jim Montgomery's firing on the Grapevine Podcast, Cherry said:

“You could just tell that the Bruins weren't happy. And when you have Pastrnak and Marchand, two good guys, and he (Montgomery) pushed Marchand on the bench. They (Bruins) never signed (Montgomery to an extension). You think they'd want to keep him, but you know what? He probably had trouble with General Manager Sweeney.”

Cherry noted the Bruins’ history of firing successful coaches. Montgomery, who won the Jack Adams Award in 2023, led Boston to a record-breaking 65-12-5 season that year. Despite this, he was dismissed after starting this season 8-9-3.

Prior to Montgomery, the Bruins were coached by Bruce Cassidy and Claude Julien. Cassidy was with the team from 2017-2022 and won the Jack Adams Award in 2020. Julien coached from 2007-2017, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.

“... and good coaches too. Montgomery was 120-42-23 and he won the Jack Adams before (in 2023). (The) Jack Adams (award) is a curse because most of them (the winners) get fired.” Cherry said.

Montgomery’s playoff performance may have influenced his firing. In 2023, the Bruins lost a 3-1 first-round series lead to the Panthers, who went to the Stanley Cup Final. Last season, they beat the Maple Leafs in Game 7 but lost in the second round to the Panthers, who later won the Stanley Cup.

Jim Montgomery was replaced by Joe Sacco on November 19. This was done following the Bruins' 8-9-3 start this season. Montgomery's record with the Bruins stood at 120-41-23 and two playoff campaigns.

Jim Montgomery secured his second victory with the Blues

The St. Louis Blues won 3-0 against the New Jersey Devils. Jordan Binnington made 31 saves for a shutout.

"The third period, the D-zone coverage was excellent. We kept it to the outside." Montgomery said per NHL.com.

Robert Thomas scored just nine seconds into the game with a one-timer. Dylan Holloway added two goals in the first period. His first came at 6:23, right after a power play ended. Holloway’s second goal was at 16:05, a rebound shot from the slot.

The Devils outshot the St. Louis Blues 24-10 in the last two periods but couldn’t score. The Blues won their second straight game under coach Jim Montgomery.