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"No inclination about making a change": St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong discloses how Boston Bruins affected coaching change plans

Modified Nov 25, 2024 00:54 GMT

Former Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery didn't have to wait long to find employment after being fired on Tuesday last week.

Just days after losing his job in Boston, he was named the head coach of the St. Louis Blues after accepting the position from GM Doug Armstrong. But to make room for Montgomery, another move had to be made.

The Blues fired Drew Bannister just 22 games into the season, not even a full season, after he was signed to a two-year contract.

According to Armstrong, it was about taking advantage of the opportunity to hire a figure with Montgomery's clout when it presented itself.

“There was no inclination to make a coaching change,” Armstrong said. “When Jim got let go in Boston, he was someone I’ve respected, someone I’ve admired, someone I felt had all the attributes to be a long-term coach for the Blues. This decision was based, I would say, almost 100 percent on having someone of Jim’s caliber become available.”

Montgomery was fired despite leading the Bruins to consecutive trips to the postseason, though he only won a single series, which was earlier this year against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Meanwhile, Bannister leaves St. Louis having not reached a full 82-game season's worth of coaching; he amassed a record of 39-31-6 after he replaced Craig Berube just under a year ago.

Jim Montgomery returns to the Blues for a second tenure

Montgomery was named the head coach of the Dallas Stars in 2018 after having previously led the University of Denver to a national championship, and also received the Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year award.

While he led the Stars to postseason in each of his three seasons, he was fired in December of 2019 after an incident of "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League."

Montgomery later disclosed that he checked himself into a rehabilitation center to help deal with his alcohol abuse issues, and later said that his being fired by Dallas was the right move.

He came back as an assistant with the Blues in September of 2020, and was later named head coach of the Bruins before the 2022-23 campaign.

In 298 career NHL games as a head coach with the Stars and Bruins, Montgomery has a 180-84-33 record.