Bruins Fire Jim Montgomery; Joe Sacco Named Interim Coach

The Jim Montgomery era in Boston has come to an end, as the Bruins relieved the head coach of his duties Tuesday afternoon.

Bruins associate coach Joe Sacco will take over in an interim role, the club announced in a press release.

Boston had a lot of regular-season success with Montgomery behind the bench, especially in his first season, a record-setting 2022-23 campaign that earned him the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top head coach. However, the Bruins have stumbled out of the gates this season with an 8-9-3 record and haven’t found the success that defined his first two seasons.

“Today, I made a very difficult decision with regards to a coaching change,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said in a statement. “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.”

Bruins president Cam Neely echoed the sentiments.

“Jim’s open and honest communication with players, staff and management, as well as the positive attitude that he brought to the rink every day, helped lead our franchise to several on-ice accolades, including a historic 65-win season in 2022-23,” Neely said. “We wish Jim and his family the best moving forward both personally and professionally.”

Montgomery’s Bruins tenure ends with an otherwise remarkable .715 winning percentage, as the Bruins won 120 of the 184 games he coached. Boston struggled to break through in the playoffs under Montgomery, bowing out in the first round of their record-breaking 2022-23 season and then losing to Florida in the first round.

Sacco makes sense as an interim replacement. He has served the role before, spending four seasons as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche from 2009 through 2013. The Medford, Mass., native has been in the Bruins’ organization since 2014 as an assistant.

“Joe Sacco has a wealth of experience and knowledge of our roster and can help lead our team in the right direction,” Neely said. “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 are technically in the playoff field as of Tuesday, but the results haven’t been what the team has come to expect. The B’s have just 19 points in the quarter-pole of the season despite some significant offseason investments. The Bruins’ minus-21 goal differential is one of the worst in the league, and the offense has really struggled to get going. The Bruins have scored more than two goals just once since in their last four games and had been outscored 15-5 over their last three games.

Sacco and the B’s will get their first chance to turn things around Thursday night when they welcome the Utah Hockey Club to TD Garden.