Jim Montgomery wins first game as St. Louis Blues’ coach

NEW YORK — As new St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery appeared before reporters Monday at Madison Square Garden sporting a dark blue sweatshirt emblazoned with the team’s famed blue note logo, there was no hesitation about his emotions.

An assistant with the Blues from 2020 to 2022, Montgomery is overjoyed to be back with St. Louis.

“Crazy — there’s no other word for it,” the 55-year-old said less than a week after he was fired by the Boston Bruins and hired by St. Louis to replace Drew Bannister. “I have worked with over half this lineup already, and I know how committed they are. For me, this was a no-brainer for me to come back home.”

The Blues — who missed the playoffs last season after Bannister took over for 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube in December — have work to do. They started the season 9-12-1, only two teams have scored less than their 2.36 goals a game and they rank in the bottom third of the league on the power play and penalty kill.

But they took a big step Monday night. With Montgomery behind the bench, and with third-period goals from Brayden Schenn, Dylan Holloway and Pavel Buchnevich, the Blues skated away with a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers.

Montgomery guided the Bruins to a record-setting 65-win, 135-point season in 2022-23 and was selected coach of the year. When he became available, Blues president and general manager Doug Armstrong pounced.

“When you get a phone call and you hear Doug Armstrong’s plan and how you’re a big part of it, that makes you feel it is the right place to go,” Montgomery said. “The best line that put his hooks into me is, ‘When something delicious falls on my plate, I eat.’ I don’t know. I guess I was a T-bone that day.”

Every NHL team Montgomery has coached for a full season has qualified for the playoffs, and his .659 points percentage ranks among the best in league history.

“I believe in this group,” Montgomery said. “It’s not easy to make the playoffs in this league. Half the teams miss it. But I do think that in time this is a caliber playoff team.”

The Bruins fired Montgomery last Tuesday after losing 12 of their first 20 games. Boston won 120 of 184 regular-season games with Montgomery behind the bench, though its playoff success was limited to a first-round series win over Toronto last spring.

His first NHL coaching job, with the Dallas Stars, ended when was fired in December 2019 for unprofessional conduct.

Armstrong hired Montgomery in September 2020 to serve on Berube’s staff. Now he gave his new coach a fresh, five-year contract and the expectation of trying to help St. Louis get back into the league’s elite tier.

“He’s one of those coaches that I really do believe can be with this team now and as it grows,” Armstrong said Sunday. “The proof of that is the five-year commitment. One of the things I think is the next part for Jim’s career is to get that longevity in one spot.”

Leaving the Bruins after success in Boston wasn’t easy, but Montgomery said he immediately chose a positive mindset.

“I’m a firm believer that when one door closes, another one opens if you do the right thing,” he said. “It’s about your relationships in life. … The five-year deal shows the commitment of Tom Stillman and the ownership group, that we are in this together.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.