Boston Bruins fire head coach Jim Montgomery

Hoping for a midseason spark, the Boston Bruins fired head coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday, the organization announced.

Montgomery was in the final year of his three-year contract and won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s best coach after guiding the Bruins to an NHL-record 135 points and the Presidents Trophy in 2023.

Montgomery’s dismissal comes after a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. The Bruins spotted Columbus, ranked 29th in the NHL in points and who entered the night with one road win, a 3-goal lead in the first period and never looked competitive.

The loss dropped a Bruins team that’s retained much of their core from their back-to-back 100-point seasons to an 8-9-3 to start the year.

“I think it starts with our compete level. I think it always starts with the compete level first and foremost. I think that in this league you have to have the highest compete every night. We have it through periods of the game at tim” Bruins captain Brad Marchand “You know, we have to understand what our identity is and play to that. And we’ve got to do that really for a full 60-minute game. "

Although the franchise still sits in a playoff spot, much of the Bruins’ roster has underperformed and the franchise’s sturdy foundational play has crumbled in the 55-year-old coach’s third year in Boston. Both the Bruins’ power play and penalty kill units rank among the worst in the league. Only the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks have a worse goal differential than the Bruins. The team lacks the discipline to stay out of the penalty box (a league-leading 91 minor penalties) or to close out games (NHL’s worst third-period goal differential).

Goalie Jeremy Swayman, who missed all of training camp as he leveraged for position to sign his new 8-year, $66 million deal has an .884 save percentage, a career worst.

" I can only go up from here,” Swayman said after Monday’s loss. “I think I’ve had enough time now to adapt and get back to things. I think the biggest thing that I lost out on was this group. And I’m really trying to engulf just being in a room again and being a leader. And I want my play to speak for that. So I need to step up and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney called the decision “very difficult.”

“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,” Sweeney said in a statement. “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.”

“On behalf of the Boston Bruins, we thank Jim Montgomery for his accomplishments and impact on our organization. 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,” stated Bruins President Cam Neeley. “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.”

The team announced that Joe Sacco will take over as interim head coach. Sacco, a Medford-native, has been on the Bruins bench as an assistant coach for the last 11 seasons. Sacco was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award in 2010 after leading the Avalanche to a 43-30-9 record in his first season in Colorado.

“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,” Sweeney said. “We will continue to work to make the necessary adjustments to meet the standard and performance our supportive fans expect.”

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