Montgomery, Bruins GM had startling philosophical disagreement?

Jim Montgomery. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Elliotte Friedman reveals startling philosophical disagreement between Bruins GM and Jim Montgomery

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated Nov 22, 2024 7:36 PM ET

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed there were deeper issues between Bruins GM Don Sweeney and former head coach Jim Montgomery that led to his firing.

The Boston Bruins shocked the hockey world with a move to part ways with head coach Jim Montgomery just one year after a 109-point season and two years removed from a historic 65-win campaign.

Sure, the team's slow start to the 2024 season might have been a contributing factor, but according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, there seemed to be deeper issues at hand for Boston's management.

Friedman said maybe there was a different view of the team's future between Montgomery and the organization. He also mentioned that there was a problem choosing the assistant coaches, which created friction.

"The team's not winning, we're going another, different direction. I think it was deeper than that. I think it was more than just they couldn't reach financial terms. I think there was some talk over, you know, direction of the team."

The end result was an average beginning to the season, the Bruins had a 9-9-3 mark at the time of his firing, and behind-the-scenes disagreements ended Montgomery's tenure.

Players have taken responsibility for Montgomery's firing. The decision to fire Montgomery raised questions about accountability inside the Bruins' locker room.

Ownership reportedly hesitated, worried about letting players off the hook for their poor performance this year, but after pulling the trigger on the firing, players were left to face the fallout.

"If we had done our job in here, he would still be around, so [we] feel terrible as a group, individually that we let a really good coach and a really good person down," captain Brad Marchand said, via NHL.com.

Marchand attributed the firing to the players not having delivered on the ice, calling their poor execution a reason Montgomery lost his job. Marchand feels that if players all did their jobs properly, Montgomery would still be there now.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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