It didn’t take Jim Montgomery very long to find a new NHL job after he was fired by the Bruins.
The Blues on Sunday morning announced they relieved Drew Bannister of his head-coaching duties and signed a five-year deal with Montgomery, who cut ties with Boston on Tuesday. Bannister became St. Louis’ interim head coach last December following Craig Berube’s departure and was promoted to head coach in May.
The Blues’ shift on the bench marked the start of Montgomery’s third NHL head-coaching tenure. He coached the Dallas Stars for a season-plus before leading the Bruins for two-plus campaigns.
Montgomery will take on a Blues team that entered Sunday with a 9-12-1 record, good for sixth place in the Central Division. The 2022-23 Jack Adams Award winner will try to provide a spark to a St. Louis club that didn’t reach the playoffs the last two seasons.
The Blues are set to play their first game under Montgomery on Monday night when they battle the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Bruins on Saturday played their second contest following Montgomery’s exit and improved to 2-0 in the Joe Sacco era.
The Bruins and the Blues met twice earlier this month, so Montgomery won’t coach St. Louis against his former club in the 2024-25 regular season.
