Jim Montgomery has a lot of work to do preparing for his first season as head coach of the Boston Bruins.
Posted at 5:52 p.m.
But he knew where to start: by calling captain Patrice Bergeron to make sure the five-time Selke Trophy winner will be back in a Bruins uniform for a 19e season.
“That was my first phone call,” Montgomery said Monday at a news conference to meet local media, 10 days after being hired to replace Bruce Cassidy.
“I don’t need to go to the locker room if he comes back. That’s the main takeaway, Montgomery said. “the good control of what’s going on and knows how to steer.”
Three years after losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and two years after scoring 100 points in a pandemic-shortened season, the Bruins fired Cassidy after a first-round playoff loss. Since then, top defenseman Charlie McAvoy and top scorer Brad Marchand have undergone surgeries that will keep them out for the first two months of the season.
But most of the attention has been on Bergeron, 36, who wouldn’t commit to playing another season (although saying that if he did return, it would only be with the Bruins). He has since told the team he was open to a return, but he still hasn’t signed a contract.
“We are still awaiting Patrice’s decision. Although the news is positive. We are getting positive feedback,” said team CEO Charlie Jacobs. So we are crossing our fingers that he will come back and lead our team again next year. »
Montgomery, a 53-year-old Montrealer, was fired from his first NHL head coaching job by the Dallas Stars during the 2019-20 season, with the team citing unprofessional conduct. He later called the decision “appropriate” and a “wake-up call” while announcing that he was going to a rehab for alcohol abuse.
Montgomery, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues, said he learned from his mistakes.
“Everyone has ups and downs in life. And I think if you learn from it, as you grow, you get better, he said Monday. I think anyone can achieve good things in life if they are willing to embrace change and do it. »
Montgomery said he was excited to take charge of a team that won 51 games last year; the Bruins also went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2019 and had the league’s best record the following season.
But that wasn’t enough to save Cassidy’s job.
One of the complaints about Cassidy, who was quickly hired by the Vegas Golden Knights, was that he was too hard on young players. Montgomery, who has already contacted about half of the squad, is best known as a coach close to the players – but only to a limit.
“I think you have to listen. And I prefer to listen before I speak, he said. We will always be in the same boat. It will be a culture of “we”. But when it comes to accountability and making final decisions, I will be firm. »
With his family seated in the front row of the TD Garden Legends arena, Montgomery said he had already found accommodation and visited Fenway Park, where he watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees.
“Things started well here in Boston. We are thrilled with this group of rabid supporters in this great city of Boston. Be part of the Bruins family. »