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Bruins introduce Jim Montgomery as head coach |
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In the days following the hiring of Jim Montgomery as the 29th head coach of the Boston Bruins, Montgomery began reaching out to players.
Introduced to the media Monday afternoon at TD Garden, Montgomery revealed he’s already chatted with more than half of the current roster.
However, the first of his phone calls went to a player not currently signed to a contract, instead a call to a player he hopes to have as his captain in the upcoming season.
Patrice Bergeron.
“It was really good, it was enlightening. I felt like I was talking to a coach, not a player. Just how he thinks about the team first, thinks about ways to get better,” Montgomery said. “So, very impressive. It was a very open and honest conversation about how he’s excited about what the Bruins family can do and how I’m excited to be a part of it.”
With rumors of a Bergeron return and David Krejci likely to soon follow, the Bruins are giving a Stanley Cup run one more chance before a rebuild awaits.
While it’s too soon to tell if Montgomery is the right choice to lead the Bruins organization back to where they want to be, his resume suggests he is.
The 53-year old Montgomery has won and won at different levels as a head coach. He led the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL to two championships in Montgomery's three seasons.
He then continued to find success at the college level, leading the University of Denver to a national championship in 2017, one of five seasons Montgomery spent with the Pioneers.
Now, Montgomery looks to win at the National Hockey League level.
"I think my biggest strength is being able to connect with people, and whether that's young players, or old players, or that middle core group of your 24-28-year-olds that are incredibly vital,” Montgomery said.
“I think the most important thing is I'm going to communicate how important everyone's role is to the team's success. And I will always come back to how that person's individual success can help the team’s success.”
This won’t be Montgomery’s first head coaching stint at the NHL level, serving as head coach of the Dallas Stars for parts of two seasons. In 2019 Montgomery was fired because of “unprofessional conduct.”
Shortly thereafter we learned Montgomery was struggling with alcohol abuse after he checked himself into rehab.
“He’s got his sponsors, he’s got a professional network that he taps into daily,” general manager Don Sweeney said.
“I hope we have a relationship now that he can be as forthright as he was in the interview process with his own lifelong pursuit. And if not to me, certainly to his sponsors and the professional network to support him.”
The firing of Bruce Cassidy and the ensuing hiring of Montgomery is just one of several big changes the Bruins organization has seen over the last several seasons.
But sometimes, change is a good thing.
Montgomery first-hand has experienced the power of change and how change can be used for the better. He hopes his story can be an example of how if you can get through tough times and embrace change, you can achieve anything.
“I’m very cognizant of the things I’ve been able to overcome with the help of my wife, my family, my close friends, new friends, that I think anybody can achieve good things in life if you’re willing to accept change and make change,” Montgomery said.
Right off the bat Montgomery is going to be faced with a difficult challenge as Brad Marchand, Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy are all set to miss time to begin the season.
With three key veterans out of the lineup to start, Montgomery and the Bruins will need to rely on some of their younger players to step up and play key roles until the Bruins wounded can return.
When it comes to getting players to succeed, regardless of age, Montgomery has a simple philosophy.
"I think the biggest thing is realizing what they can do and trying to emphasize those strengths. And it's different for every player,” said Montgomery.
“I think it depends on what a player can do. And you try and focus on communicating those strengths while using practice habits that translate into game habits, following it up with video and then putting the icing on the cake with some analytics that could help them.
Sweeney felt the Bruins locker room needed a new voice. It’s the main reason behind why Cassidy's tenure in Boston ended.
It appears as if the Bruins roster is about to look very similar to the one that fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round last season.
We’re soon to find out how big of a difference a new voice makes.
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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