The St. Louis Blues fired head coach Drew Bannister and hired Jim Montgomery to replace him, just five days after 2022 Jack Adams Award winner was fired by the Boston Bruins.
Blues president and general manager Doug Armstrong announced the radical change on Sunday. He is expected to speak to reporters on a video call later this afternoon, while Montgomery will join the team in New York on Monday.
Bannister had been in charge behind the bench for less than a year, after taking over from 2019 Stanley Cup winner Craig Berube and being stripped of the interim tag at the end of last season. The Blues have lost 13 of their first 22 games of the campaign.
Montgomery spent two seasons as Berube’s assistant in St. Louis, between stints in Dallas and Boston. The Bruins fired him after losing 12 of their first 20 games.
The Blues offered Montgomery a five-year contract.
It’s the latest move Armstrong has made in hopes of keeping the Blues’ championship window open. Last summer, the Blues signed restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the reigning Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers, and Armstrong acquired several others players to reshape his team.
By handing the reins to Montgomery, a seasoned and successful coach finds himself behind the bench. The 55-year-old former player posted a 180-84-33 regular season record, a .659 winning percentage that ranks among the best in league history
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