Breaking: Boston Bruins Fire Head Coach Jim Montgomery, Name Replacement

The axe has come down in Boston. The Bruins have announced that they have fired head coach Jim Mongomery amidst their struggles to start the 2024-25 season.

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, November 19, that the team has relieved Jim Montgomery of his duties as Head Coach.

Associate Coach Joe Sacco will assume interim head coaching duties.

📰: https://t.co/g6eGJ3bmZx pic.twitter.com/x41b6SjbYL
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 19, 2024

Associate Coach Joe Sacco will assume interim head coaching duties, as announced by GM Don Sweeney.

Montgomery, who took over as head coach in 2022, led the Bruins to one of the most historic regular seasons in NHL history in his first season behind the bench. With a league-record 65 wins and the President’s Trophy, the team seemed poised for a deep playoff run. However, after two consecutive premature exits in the Stanley Cup playoffs, followed by the chaotic start to this season, the Bruins felt it was time to move on.

No doubt that the offseason & training camp drama over the Jeremy Swayman contract situation had an effect on the team's rocky start to the year, but Montogomery was not able to right the ship.

Overall, the Bruins lost just 41 of 184 regular season games under Montgomery, with a .715 win percentage and the best record in the NHL over that time. But like in other major hockey centers, success in the playoffs is what a coach will really be able to hang their hat on, and get through situations like a slow start.

Boston is sitting at 8-9-3, in 4th place in the Atlantic Division. They have a minus-21 goal differential, the second-worst in the entire NHL. In addition, their power play is dead last at just 11.7%, while their penalty kill is 25th at 75.6%.