Terry owes his success to ex-du coach
Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry met with Denver-area reporters before Wednesday’s game against the Avalanche and the Highlands Ranch native dug deep to contain his composure twice in his nine-minute interview at Ball Arena.
Terry became emotional talking about former University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery and former Pioneers classmate and roommate Logan O’connor.
Montgomery, a recovering alcoholic who was fired for unprofessional conduct as the Dallas Stars head coach in December 2019, is now an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues. O’connor is currently the Avalanche’s top-line right wing.
Terry’s take on “OC’S” surging career is elsewhere in Sunday’s hockey coverage. I felt this journal should focus on Terry’s relationship with Montgomery, a man who saw his reputation destroyed following his dismissal from Dallas, and a deeply loved coach who deserves a second chance as an NHL head coach.
“I’m not shy to talk about Jim Montgomery and what he meant to me,” said Terry, the Ducks’ leading scorer who recently had an Nhl-best 16-game points streak end. “I feel like I was a very young, immature kid when I came to DU. He shaped me into the hockey player and everything that I am now.
“All of my habits as a player, all of that, have been instilled by Jim Montgomery. Even away from that, he generally cared about me. He cared about Logan, he cared about his players. I honestly attribute him and my years with him to being ready for the NHL and being ready to make that jump, the way he had us playing.”
Terry joined DU at age 17 in the fall of 2015, months after becoming one of the youngest players selected in the NHL draft. He and Montgomery celebrated the Pioneers’ 2017 NCAA championship together and both left Denver after the 2017-18 season — Terry’s junior year and Montgomery’s fifth and final season with the program.
Terry’s bond with Montgomery is a forever feeling, and no different than what most other former Pioneers and current Dallas players feel about the incredible coach and friend.
That crowd knows that the NHL team that gives “Monty” his second chance will not regret it.