Montgomery fired as Bruins coach, replaced by Sacco

BOSTON -- Jim Montgomery was fired as coach of the Boston Bruins on Tuesday after two-plus seasons. He has been replaced by Joe Sacco on an interim basis.

Montgomery went 120-41-23 with the Bruins after being hired as the 29th coach in franchise history July 1, 2022, succeeding Bruce Cassidy.

Boston has struggled this season out of the gate after an offseason that saw two big-ticket signings in unrestricted free agents Elias Lindholm (seven years, $7.75 million average annual value) and Nikita Zadorov (six years, $5 million AAV).

The Bruins are 8-9-3 and have lost four of their past five games (1-2-2), including 5-1 at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. They have a minus-21 goal differential, tied for second-worst in the NHL.

“Today, I made a very difficult decision with regards to a coaching change,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “Jim Montgomery is a very good NHL coach and an even better person. He has made a positive impact throughout the Bruins organization, and I am both grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to work with him and learn from him. Jim’s accomplishments as the Bruins head coach include a record-breaking and historic season, and I want to thank his entire family and wish him, Emily, J.P., Colin, Ava and Olivia all the success and happiness with their next opportunity.

“Our team’s inconsistency and performance in the first 20 games of the 2024-25 season has been concerning and below how the Bruins want to reward our fans. I believe Joe Sacco has the coaching experience to bring the players and the team back to focusing on the consistent effort the NHL requires to have success. We will continue to work to make the necessary adjustments to meet the standard and performance our supportive fans expect.”

In his first season as Boston coach in 2022-23, Montgomery led the team to a historic season, with the best single-season record in League history (65-12-5). The Bruins earned 135 points and an .823 points percentage, also NHL bests. Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award that season as the League’s top coach.

But the Bruins lost in seven games in the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round to the Florida Panthers, who went on to the Stanley Cup Final. They held a 3-0 series lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs the following season, then lost the next three games before prevailing in Game 7.

Boston lost to the eventual champion Panthers in the second round in six games.

Montgomery has also been coach of the Dallas Stars, serving the 2018-19 season and part of 2019-20, going 60-43-10 in 114 games. His NHL career record is 180-84-33 in 297 games.

Montgomery is the first NHL coach to be fired this season.

Sacco is in his 11th season in the Bruins organization since being hired as assistant coach July 24, 2014. The 55-year-old was Colorado Avalanche coach from 2009-2013 and went 130-134-40. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the 2009-10 season, his first with Colorado, after it finished 43-30-9.

Sacco worked one season as an assistant for the Buffalo Sabres in 2013-14 before leaving to join the Bruins.

“On behalf of the Boston Bruins, we thank Jim Montgomery for his accomplishments and impact on our organization,” team president Cam Neely said. “Jim’s open and honest communication with players, staff and management, as well as the positive attitude that he brought to the rink every day, helped lead our franchise to several on-ice accolades, including a historic 65-win season in 2022-23. We wish Jim and his family the best moving forward both personally and professionally.

“I’m supportive of Don’s decision to address our current play and performance. Joe Sacco has a wealth of experience and knowledge of our roster and can help lead our team in the right direction. He has a strong understanding of our standards and expectations, and I trust he will do all he can to accomplish our organization’s goals this season.”