Stars oust head coach over undisclosed act
DALLAS — The Stars fired second-year coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday, citing unspecified unprofessional conduct in a surprising blow to one of the preseason favorites in the NHL’s Western Conference.
General manager Jim Nill said Montgomery had acted inconsistently with “core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League.” He did not elaborate.
Nill said he became aware Sunday of an act by Montgomery and that the decision to fire him came after an internal investigation that included discussions with the team’s general counsel. Nill said the act was not criminal, had no connection to players — past or present — and didn’t involve another employee.
Nill, who hired Montgomery, called the incident a “total surprise.”
“A very tough decision,” Nill said. “I have got a lot of respect for Jim Montgomery. He’s a very good coach. And unfortunately, you know, sometimes in life, the hardest decisions are the toughest. And this is one of them.”
Montgomery did not respond to a text message seeking comment.
Rick Bowness, who came on as an assistant coach with Montgomery, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season, starting with Tuesday night’s home game against the Devils.
In all, four NHL coaches have lost their jobs already this season — three of them amid allegations of misbehavior.
Flames coach Bill Peters resigned last month following accusations by former NHL player Akim Aliu that Peters had directed racist slurs toward him while the two were in the minors a decade ago, an allegation the NHL is looking into. Peters was also accused of physical abuse while coaching the Hurricanes. Coach Mike Babcock was accused of verbal abuse after he was fired by the underperforming Maple Leafs. Additionally, Blackhawks assistant Marc Crawford is being investigated for alleged physical abuse of players.
Montgomery’s firing is not related to any of that kind of misbehavior, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not elaborated on the reason for Montgomery’s dismissal.
Montgomery was 60-43-10 as the Stars coach after being hired in the summer of 2018 from the University of Denver for his first NHL head coaching job. The Stars made the playoffs last season before losing in double overtime in Game 7 of their secondround series against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Blues.