Bruins

Four things to know about Jim Montgomery

Montgomery had a solid start in Dallas before personal issues briefly derailed his career.

The Bruins reportedly will hire Jim Montgomery as the team's next head coach. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

July 1, 2022

The Bruins will reportedly hire former Stars coach Jim Montgomery as head coach after firing Bruce Cassidy earlier this month.

Montgomery will take the reins of a team that frequents the playoffs but exited in disappointing fashion this season, bowing out in a seven-game first-round loss to the Hurricanes.

Here are four things to know about Montgomery.

1. He was an excellent collegiate player.

Montgomery had a lengthy professional career that included several stints in the NHL, but he put together perhaps his most noteworthy performance in the national title game in 1993 when he scored three third-period goals to complete a 5-4 comeback win and lead Maine over Lake Superior State. Montgomery was named the most outstanding player of the tournament.

2. He is highly regarded in coaching circles.

Montgomery has been a high-potential coaching candidate for years. When news broke that the Bruins planned to hire him as their head coach, fans (and media) of his current team — the St. Louis Blues — lamented losing a crucial assistant from their staff. Prior to earning his first job in the NHL with the Stars, Montgomery was considered a rising star. After he was hired prior to the 2018-19 season, he helped to lead Dallas to its first playoff appearance in three years. The Stars lost in the second round on a Game 7 double-overtime goal.

3. He has struggled with alcoholism.

Montgomery was fired by the Stars for “a personal behavior issue” in 2019, although the Stars made it clear it was “unprofessional conduct.” Montgomery later announced he was checking into rehab for alcoholism, calling the Stars’ decision to fire him “appropriate” due to his “damaging lifestyle.”

“Losing my job as head coach of the Dallas Stars last month was a wake-up call,” Montgomery wrote in a statement. “It was also the appropriate call. I let the team’s front office, staff, and players down. More importantly, I let my wife and my family down. The team’s decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help. I turned to professionals in the field of alcohol abuse for their guidance and counseling. It has been an overwhelming and a very humbling experience knowing that I am not alone.”

In 2020, Montgomery told The Denver Post he was 10 months sober.

“Right now I’m a much better person and I think I’m going to be a much better coach because of everything that’s happened,” he said.

4. He had a big birthday.

Montgomery turned 53 on Thursday — the same day reports of his hiring broke. As far as birthdays go, landing a lucrative new job and an all-important second chance is a solid way to celebrate.