Report: Bruins to hire Jim Montgomery as HC

Dec 1, 2019; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery looks on in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Bruins to hire Jim Montgomery as new head coach

By Adam Stites | Last updated 6/30/22

The Boston Bruins are expected to name Jim Montgomery as the team's new head coach on Friday, according to ESPN's Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski.

Montgomery, 53, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues. Prior to that, he was head coach of the Dallas Stars for just over one season. After leading the team to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his first season with the team, Montgomery was fired in his second season due to "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars."

In January 2020, Montgomery released a statement saying the Stars' decision was "the appropriate call" and he announced that he'd enter a rehab facility to address his abuse of alcohol.

Jim Montgomery has released a statement. These are his first public comments: pic.twitter.com/dVyGMohxnI
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 3, 2020

During his brief stint as the Stars' head coach, the team was 61-43-10 in regular season games and 7-6 in the playoffs.

Boston reached the postseason in each of the last six seasons under coach Bruce Cassidy but lost in the first round twice and the second round three times. The Bruins reached the 2019 Stanley Cup final, but lost in seven games to the Blues. Cassidy was fired after recording a 245-108-46 record with the team.

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