Bruins introduce new coach
BOSTON — Jim Montgomery has a lot of work to do to prepare for his first season as the Boston Bruins’ head coach.
He knew just where to start: by reaching out to captain Patrice Bergeron to make sure the five-time Selke Award winner will be back in a Bruins uniform for a 19th season.
“That was my first phone call,” Montgomery said on Monday at a news conference to meet the local media 10 days after he was hired to replace Bruce Cassidy.
“I don’t have to go into the locker room very much if he comes back. That was the main takeaway,” Montgomery said. “He’s got good control of what’s going on, and how to lead.”
Three years after they lost in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final and two years after they reached 100 points in a pandemic-shortened season, the Bruins fired Cassidy following a first-round playoff loss. Since then, top defenseman Charlie Mcavoy and top scorer Brad Marchand have had surgery that will keep them out for the first two months of the season.
But much of the attention has been on the 36-year-old Bergeron, who would not commit to playing another season (while saying that, if he did return, it would only be with the Bruins). He has since told the team he is inclined to return, but he remains unsigned.
“We’re still waiting for Patrice’s word. Although news is positive. We’re getting some positive feedback,” team CEO Charlie Jacobs said.
Montgomery, 53, was fired from his first NHL head job by the Dallas Stars during the 2019-20 season with the team citing unprofessional conduct. He later called that decision “appropriate” and a “wake-up call” while announcing he was going to a rehab facility for alcohol abuse.
Montgomery, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues, said he has learned from his mistakes.
Montgomery said he was excited to be taking over a team that won 51 games last year; the Bruins also went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and had the league’s best record the following season.
Coyotes: Arizona has signed forward Christian Fischer to a one-year contract. Terms of the deal announced Monday were not released. The 25-year-old Fischer has developed into a team leader in five seasons with the Coyotes with his work ethic and physical presence.
Kings: Forwards Carl Grundstrom and Lias Andersson agreed to contract extensions with Los Angeles. Grundstrom got a two-year deal worth $2.6 million through the 2023-24 season, and Andersson got a one-year deal for $750,000.
Avalanche: Forward Valeri Nichushkin is staying put with the Stanley Cup champions, signing an eight-year, $49 million contract.