NHL awards announcements

Bruins Fire Jack Adams Winner Jim Montgomery Amid 8-9-3 Start; Sacco Named Interim Coach

Nov 19, 2024, 09:29 PM

The Boston Bruins have fired head coach Jim Montgomery amid a sluggish start to the 2024-25 NHL season. Associate coach Joe Sacco has been named interim head coach. General Manager Don Sweeney announced the decision on Tuesday, November 19, stating that the team's inconsistency and performance in the first 20 games have been concerning and below expectations. The Bruins currently hold an 8-9-3 record and have struggled offensively, scoring the second fewest goals in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, their power play and penalty kill have been consistently poor, and turnovers have occurred frequently. Montgomery, who won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year last season after leading the Bruins to a historic regular season, was hired in June 2022, replacing Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy was dismissed after players reportedly urged management to make a change and went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in his first season. Despite Montgomery's impressive regular-season record of 120-41-23 with the Bruins, the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season. Notably, all six of the Jack Adams Award finalists and winners since 2022 have since been fired by their teams. Some observers suggest that the blame for the Bruins' struggles shouldn't start with Montgomery, pointing to management and player performance.