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 its losing streak to three games.
"Jim Montgomery is a very good NHL coach and an even better person," general manager Don Sweeney said in a news release announcing the move. "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."
Assistant Joe Sacco, who led the Colorado Avalanche to a 130-134-40 record from 2009-2014 and was a finalist for coach of the year in his first season, will lead the Bruins on an interim basis.
"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."
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.
