NHL Coach of the Year Jim Montgomery | 2nd Chances, Avalanche Cup Run, Boston Bruins’ Culture + More

NHL Coach of the Year Jim Montgomery | 2nd Chances, Avalanche Cup Run, Boston Bruins’ Culture + More

I’m joined by Jim Montgomery head coach of the Boston Bruins and of course former coach of the University of Denver Pioneers on the heels of a gold medal for Coach Carl out of du he got reps as an assistant with guek he went to the

USHL and then found his way back to the program and you can you tell me about how that relationship began well it really began um uh you know coaching against each other in USHL and I actually first met him at a um recruiting uh we were scouting and uh

Then you know um we had the opening come up my first year and we wanted to hire an Alum and we interviewed four alums and he was by far the best prepared and he worked closely under you he still references the process to this day what

Stood out to you about him that you could point to and say and that’s why he was the next head coach for the posos um his intelligence I’ve always I I’ve already talked about but you know he has great work ethic and his emotional intelligence is off the charts like his

Ability to find Solutions in heated moments I think is his greatest asset and with all he’s accomplished at 34 do you think an HL coaching job is in the future for him I think it’s going to be his decision I think they’re going to be calling and I wanted to talk to you

About cultural shifts it was sort of a theme in the ABS organization a decade ago when you joined you were presented with the opportunity um with a group that was already established some leadership already there what did you want to implement for Boston there wasn’t much I wanted to learn because

The culture was so high-end and how they care about people and how everyone in the organization puts people first you know before the player and I just thought that um that was awesome because I think that’s what you if you’re able to connect with people and you commit to

Caring about each other I think teams really grow and it sounded like you wanted to work with the existing leadership group to build upon that where do you think the team has grown just in a year being behind the bench well I think um just our familiarity

With each other you know I think especially um the U 12 players that are back you know they really know and I know them how they tick how I can get the most out of them and help them have success and how has your vision for what

Culture needs to be evolved over the years coaching different levels and seeing what it takes to win and what happens when you lose yeah I think um not living and dying with the results whether they’re losses or wins and trying to be even Keel you’re behind the

Blues bench for the AVS cup run with an un I perspective unlike anyone else what was special about that a team that made them a challenge well they were just Dynamic their work ethic was off the charts they won every foot race and where I thought they were really

Dominant was how they broke pucks out and how they for checked is there anything you can draw inspiration from there yeah well winning those goal line races it’s you know something they do at a high end they still do it I think better than anyone in the league we’ve

Seen the difference that great leadership can make with Lis here in Colorado big shoes to fill with Bon Gan how did you know Brad marshan was the right guy well just because of his competitiveness and his passion the guy loves the game of hockey loves being a bruin and when someone is doing

Everything because they care so much he’s going to be a great leader in the era of swan andark having a goal tender tandem that’s so strong how do you think one the group has transformed having such reliable net MERS well I just think the trust that we have great goals net every

Night allows us to play a very aggressive game in all three zones some teams have a clear starter but you have such a strong tandem that’s obviously a strength but what are some of the challenges that come with that like decision making well I think the challenges are you’d like them to play

Two three four games in a row but we don’t want to do that because of the schedule and then also because we want to keep them sharp and I can begin winding this down I wanted to ask about a couple former players obviously Danton hyen you coached in college comes out of

Camp PTO success story did you fight for him were you a part of that process in making sure that he got a contract at the end of the day because you saw what he was like his work ethic as a college player well I was definitely part of the

Process but you know Don Sweeney makes all those final decisions um but you know danton’s played great for us and he’s been a big part of what we’ve been able to accomplish so far the other is Logan oconor an undrafted player who makes an opportunity for himself at the

NHL level when you were coaching him in college did you see that he had that in his toolkit the capabilities to a fulltime NHL player well you saw the speed you saw the work ethic and you saw the passion to do things right his attention to details off the charts and

Just he’s one of those guys that you loved coaching and you’re just really happy that he’s been able to do everything he has in his career and in looking at Heinen and Carl a tough diagnosis from his medical condition that he turned into a national title and

A a gold medal the emphasis on Second Chances is really present in their story lines as well as yours how is that that faith and the opportunity at a second chance influence what you want to do with the Bruins well it makes you incredibly grateful you know I have an

Attitude of gratitude every day and um when you get a second chance opportunity that’s your opportunity to really show the people that put faith in you to to rise the occasion and after the pens loss the team responded in a big way against Tampa what’s the behind thes

Scenes look at how this group responds to a loss mentally to be able to issue that kind of response in the next game well I think again our Le leaders um they’re competitive and you know good teams don’t want to lose two in a row it

Happens but you really want to dig in that next game awesome that’s all I had for you thank you so much thank you

Meghan Angely’s EXCLUSIVE emotional interview with Jim Montgomery, NHL head coach of the year and coach of the Boston Bruins, delves into his journey from coaching at the University of Denver to leading an NHL team. Montgomery shares insights into his relationship with Coach Carl, how the culture shifts he witnessed in the Boston Bruins organization compare to the Colorado Avalanche organization, and the high standards of the Bruins’ culture. He also discusses the potential of young coaches and the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. He reflects on the role of second chances in both his career and the lives of his players. Montgomery’s passion for hockey and his unique approach to team-building shine through as he talks about the challenges and triumphs of coaching at the highest level.

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