Montgomery out as coach of Stars for undisclosed act
DALLAS — The Dallas 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 the decision to fire him came after an internal investigation that included discussions with the team’s general counsel. Nill said only that it was not because of a criminal act, had no connection to players, past or present, and didn’t involve another employee of the team.
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 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 New Jersey Devils.
In all, four NHL coaches have lost their jobs already this season — three of them amid allegations of misbehavior.
The move by the Stars came one day after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, at a meeting of the Board of Governors, said the league will work swiftly to make changes to better deal with personal conduct issues raised by players and former players in recent weeks, including allegations of racism and physical abuse by coaches.
Montgomery’s firing is not related to 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 60-4310 in one-plus seasons as the Stars’ coach, including 17-11-3 this season. He was hired in 2018 from the University of Denver for his first head coaching job in the NHL.