Jim Montgomery
Jim Montgomery is a coach who worked his entire post playing career to climb all the way up the coaching ladder only to have it all disappear quickly.
Montgomery’s lengthy playing career ended in 2005 after 122 NHL games, some very impressive offensive totals in the AHL and stints in Germany and Russia. He was even traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Guy Carbonneau (speaking of former coaches who could be back..) although Montgomery only played five game in a Habs sweater before being lost on waivers to the Philadelphia Flyers. Interestly, he was the one who coined the “Legion of Doom” nickname for the line of Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg.
Immediately after ending his playing career, Montgomery volunteered to help coach Notre Dame in the 2005-06 season. The following year he would step behind the bench for RPI where he would stay for four years. In 2010-11 he started his head coaching career in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
The USHL is essentially the USA’s equivalent of the Canadian Hockey League. It is the top Junior league in the country. Montgomery was the team’s head coach and general manager for three seasons, winning two championships in the league and was twice named the top GM in the USHL.
So after three years at that level, he was moving up the ladder to college hockey to be the head coach of the Denver Pioneers. Montgomery would serve in that role for five years, winning three NCHC conference championships and a national title in 2016-17 as well as a coach of the year award. Denver went 125-56-26 in Montgomery’s five years as head coach in a very competitive NCHC conference.
It was time once again to move up the ladder and Montgomery was hired as the head coach of the Dallas Stars for the 2018-19 season. The Stars made the playoffs that year and lost in Game 7 of the second round to the St. Louis Blues who went on to win the Stanley Cup. After starting the following season with a 17-11-3 record, Montgomery was fired but it wasn’t because of the team’s record or performance.
Montgomery would later admit he was dealing with alcohol addiction and the firing from the Stars was the wake-up call he needed to sort things out in his personal life.
He has done that and is back behind an NHL bench again. Just under a year after being fired by the Stars, Montgomery was hired to be the assistant coach of the St. Louis Blues.
Montgomery’s teams always pay close attention to detail and are difficult to play against. They simply don’t give up much defensively and we all know the Canadiens could use a coach that can tighten things up defensively.
Montgomery has proven over the years he is a very capable head coach at every level. He is an assistant now, but the Montreal native belongs behind an NHL bench as a head coach and the Canadiens would be wise to give him another opportunity.