Boston Bruins Fire Head Coach Jim Montgomery After 2+ Seasons

BOSTON — Less than two years after leading the Boston Bruins to the best regular season record in National Hockey League history — followed by a first-round upset loss — Jim Montgomery is out as Bruins coach after a disappointing start to his third season.

Medford High School and Boston University alum Joe Sacco, the Bruins associate coach and an 11-year assistant with the team, will take over as the team's interim coach.

"Today, I made a very difficult decision with regards to a coaching change," Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney said. "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.

"Jim's accomplishments as the Bruins head coach include a record-breaking and historic season."

The Bruins won 65 of 82 games in Montgomery's first season and set an NHL record with 135 points in the regular season before losing a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the playoffs to the Florida Panthers.

Boston won a Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs last year before again losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers.

This year's team got off to a very uneven start marred by a series of lopsided losses and lackluster efforts on its way to an 8-9-3 record.

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

Sacco played for five NHL teams over 13 seasons before coaching in the American Hockey League and for the Colorado Avalanche, where he led the team to a 43-40-9 record in his first season in 2009 and a 130-134-40 mark over four years.

"I'm supportive of Don's decision to address our current play and performance," Bruins team president Cam Neeley said. "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 Bruins entered Tuesday holding the second wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)