Jim Montgomery has been named the 29th head coach of the Boston Bruins

BOSTON – general manager of the Boston Bruins Don Sweeney announced today, July 1, that Jim Montgomery has been named the 29th head coach of the Boston Bruins.

“The Boston Bruins are pleased to introduce Jim Montgomery as the next head coach of the Boston Bruins and to welcome Jim, his wife Emily and his children JP, Collin, Ava and Olivia to the city of Boston,” Sweeney said. “Jim has a winning track record and during the interview process he demonstrated his ability to connect with all types of players while demanding his teams play structured. We are excited for Jim to begin making his mark on our team.”

Montgomery, 53, was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues from 2020-22. Prior to his time in St. Louis, Montgomery was the head coach of the Dallas Stars from 2018-2020. Montgomery led the Dallas Stars to a 43-32-7 record in 2018-19, leading the team to its first playoff appearance in three years.

Prior to being hired as head coach in Dallas, Montgomery was the head coach at the University of Denver from 2013-17, where he led the Pioneers to the NCAA Tournament in each of his five seasons, including two Frozen Four appearances (2016, 2017) and winning the national championship (2017). Montgomery was also named the 2017 NCAA Coach of the Year.

Prior to his time with the Pioneers, he was the head coach of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL from 2010-13.

In his first year at the helm, he led the Fighting Saints to a USHL championship in 2011. He would go on to lead the team to another Clark Cup win in 2013.

Prior to his time in the USHL, the Montreal, Quebec native spent time as an assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2006-10) and Notre Dame (2005-06).

Montgomery spent 14 seasons as a forward in the NHL and AHL from 1993-2005. Montgomery appeared in 122 NHL games for five different teams (St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars), scoring 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points and 82 penalty minutes.

Montgomery also appeared in 451 AHL games for the Hershey Bears, Philadelphia Phantoms, Kentucky Thoroughbreds and Utah Grizzlies, accumulating 165 goals, 328 assists, 490 points, 674 penalty minutes and a plus-84 rating.

Before turning to professional hockey, Montgomery played four seasons at the University of Maine from 1989-93. In 1993, Montgomery captained the Black Bears, which set the NCAA record for wins in a season with 42. Maine won the championship at NCAA after Montgomery’s efforts as the team’s leading scorer, including his hat trick in the third period of the 1993 Championship Game, to help seal the victory.