The St. Louis Blues hired Jim Montgomery as head coach on Sunday.
The 55-year-old Quebecer replaces Drew Bannister, who was fired. Montgomery signed a five-year contract with the Blues, just five days after being fired as coach of the Boston Bruins after more than two seasons at the helm of the team.
“This decision was entirely based on the fact that someone of Jim’s caliber was suddenly available, and we didn’t know it was going to happen,” explained Blues president of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong. Sunday.
The Blues (9-12-1) are sixth in the Central Division and are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. They lost 3-1 to the New York Islanders on Saturday.
St. Louis is 30th in the NHL in goals per game average (2.36), 25th in power play average (16.7%) and 29th in shots per game (26.2). They lost 3-1 to the New York Islanders on Saturday, in what was the 13th game of 22 in which they scored two goals or less, but also the seventh in which they found the back of the net only once.
Montgomery had a 120-41-23 record with the Bruins, but he started this season poorly with an 8-9-3 record. He was fired last Tuesday and replaced by Joe Sacco.
In his first season as Bruins pilot, in 2022-23, Montgomery led the team to a historic season with a 65-12-5 record, the best in NHL history. The Bruins had 135 points and a .823 points percentage, also NHL records. Montgomery won the Jack Adams Trophy that season as the league’s best coach.
The Bruins, however, lost in seven games in the first round of the playoffs to the Florida Panthers, who then participated in the Stanley Cup Final. The following season, the Bruins took a 3-0 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round series, then lost the next three games before winning in the final matchup.
In the second round, Boston lost in six games to the Panthers, future champions.
“He has a positive attitude and he’s worked well with the best players in the organizations he’s been with,” Armstrong said. He has a ton of experience and is in the prime years of his coaching career. Now we are the ones who are going to benefit from this. I think he has all the qualities, at least we hope so. »
The Blues have missed the playoffs the last two seasons. They won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and are now trying to become a contending team again.
“I think Jim can lead a team that’s evolving, and then he can lead that team into its evolved version, when it’s ready to win,” Armstrong said. “It reminds me of when we hired Ken [Hitchock] over a decade ago. He was an experienced coach who came to a team that was learning and trying to grow, and he was able to get the best from this group. We continue to learn to win and learn to compete on a daily basis, and ‘Monty’ can force us all to be better, and when we become better, he can lead us to the promised land. »
Montgomery also served as head coach of the Dallas Stars, during the 2018-19 season and part of 2019-20, posting a record of 60-43-10 in 114 games. In his NHL career, he has a record of 180-84-33 in 297 games. He returns to St. Louis after serving as an assistant coach there for two seasons (2020-22) under Craig Berube.
“He already knows our best players, which is definitely an advantage for a coach,” Armstrong said. He is capable of getting the best from elite players. He’s done it in the past in Dallas, where they had a great team. He also did it in Boston, and we think he can do it here too. »
Bannister will have kept a record of 39-31-6 in 76 games as coach of the Blues after replacing Berube on December 14, 2023. He has a record of 93-58-19 as coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American League hockey, which he led to back-to-back Calder Cup playoff appearances, including the Calder Cup Final in 2022.
Bannister is the second head coach to lose his job this season.
“When I spoke to Drew today, I explained to him that it was because one of the best coaches in the NHL was available, and I truly believe that person can lead this team, especially when she will reach the next level, Armstrong said. The proof is that we offered him a five-year contract. I think the next step for Jim’s career was to get a long-term position with a team. »
Armstrong hopes that Montgomery’s arrival will help revive the team in all facets of the game, which is without defensemen Nick Leddy and Philip Broberg, who are on the injured list. Leddy hasn’t played since Oct. 15 due to a lower-body injury, while Broberg was expected to miss four to six weeks of action after suffering a lower-body injury on Nov. 2.
The Blues face the New York Rangers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, MSG).
“So far, there have been ups and downs in our season, we have difficulty on special teams and scoring goals, which is rarely a good recipe for success,” Armstrong analyzed. We have to learn to cope while Leddy and Broberg are in the infirmary for a long time. We have seen progress in some players, but the return of these two players will help us stabilize the situation. »
