Bruins Veteran Opens Up About Jim Montgomery Joining Blues

Monday wasn’t a gameday for the Boston Bruins. But it was for their former head coach.

Jim Montgomery wasn’t out of a job for long after the Bruins fired him last Tuesday. Montgomery quickly took the head coaching reins of the St. Louis Blues five days later and guided his new team to a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

It might have been a little strange to see Montgomery take position behind another bench so quickly, but veteran Bruins forward Charlie Coyle was thrilled to see him not be out of a job for long.

“You always want the best for someone you worked with, who we got along with, who was part of us for two-and-a-half years,” Coyle told MassLive on Monday. “That’s the best-case scenario is to see a guy who’s kind of down and out because, not him, it’s all of us, right? He’s out, he leaves the team. So to see a guy get right back on his feet, five-year deal, that’s awesome. I’m so happy for him. We want him to be here but things work out a certain way and that’s the best-case scenario for him.

“I’m sure there’s still some feelings. But I’m sure he’s pumped to get right back in it and get a long-term deal like that for him and his family. That’s huge. I’m so happy for him.”

It doesn’t appear that Coyle is the only Bruins player who felt that way toward Montgomery. Montgomery revealed that upon being named the Blues head coach, several Bruins players sent him well-wishes via text message.

Joe Sacco also made sure to connect with Montgomery and the Bruins interim head coach wasn’t surprised to see Montgomery get quickly back on his feet.

“I texted Monty and wished him congratulations,” Sacco told reporters, per MassLive’s Matt Vautour and Lauren Campbell. “I think I said the other day he’s gonna land on his feet and obviously he did very quickly. So I’m very happy for him and his family, especially the fact that that’s basically their home. It’s a great opportunity.”

This is Montgomery’s second stint with the Blues, who were off to a 9-12-1 start under Drew Bannister before hiring Montgomery, after he was an assistant coach with St. Louis from 2020-22.

And he’ll look to make the same impact there that he made with the Bruins, as evidenced by his former co-workers reaching out following a difficult departure.