BOSTON (AP) — Boston coach Jim Montgomery, who led the Bruins to the greatest regular season in NHL history but never got them past the second round of the playoffs, was fired Tuesday, a day after the below-.500 team lost to last-place Columbus to extend their losing streak to three games.
Assistant Joe Sacco will coach the Bruins on an interim basis, the team announced.
Montgomery, 55, was fired 20 games into his third season in Boston and a day after a 5-1 loss to Columbus in which the Bruins allowed two short-handed goals. He leaves with a 8-9-3 record this season and a 180-84-33 mark in his career, which also included one-plus season in Dallas.
The Bruins finished with more than 100 points in each of Montgomery’s first two seasons — including a record-setting debut, when their 65 wins and 135 points were both the most in NHL history. But the team lost in the first round of the playoffs that year and advanced to only the second round last season.
The struggles carried over into the new season, with an opening night loss to Florida in which they fell behind 5-1 and an 8-2 loss to Carolina on Halloween. After the Monday night loss to Columbus in which the team was booed off the ice at home after falling behind 3-0 in the first period, Montgomery grew philosophical.
“Everyone goes through struggles. Whether in life, or your team,” he said. “That’s what life’s about. How do you pick yourself up? It’s not how hard you fall. It’s how quickly you pick yourself up.”
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Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press