The Boston Bruins formally introduced Jim Montgomery as their new coach Monday afternoon at TD Garden.
Recently extended general manager Don Sweeney announced the hire Friday, filling one of the league’s final high-profile coaching vacancies. Montgomery replaces Bruce Cassidy, who was fired in June after the team’s loss in the first round of the playoffs.
Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs, CEO Charlie Jacobs and President Cam Neely introduced Montgomery at a news conference along with Sweeney.
“Jim has a winning history, and throughout the interview process he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure,” Sweeney said in a statement. “We are excited for Jim to begin to make his imprint on our team.”
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
Montgomery is just the third head coach the Bruins have hired since 2007. The two previous head coaches in Boston -- Claude Julien and Cassidy -- both enjoyed tremendous success.
The hockey lifer gets another chance at an NHL head-coaching job less than three years since he lost his first one. Montgomery, 53, spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues. He was fired from his first NHL head job by the Dallas Stars in December 2019 with the team citing "unprofessional conduct."
Montgomery talked about his battle with alcohol in an interview with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun in May of 2020. After getting his life back on track, Montgomery was hired by the Blues in September of 2020 to be an assistant coach on Craig Berube's staff.
Before becoming the Stars head coach, Montgomery was the head coach at the University of Denver for five seasons from 2013-14 through 2017-18. Denver went to two Frozen Fours and won an NCAA championship under Montgomery in 2016-17.
Montgomery played at the University of Maine in the early 1990s.
More Boston Bruins Coverage
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
