Management Jim Montgomery

[TP70BruinsCup]

The coach that loses this series will be gone.

No doubt in my mind.

Absolutely

TO media and fans wanted Keefe gone after game 4 and are saying there is no he comes back. Many of us felt the same with Monty last night. Someone doesn’t survive for sure.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I can see it as a possibility, but certainly not a must. You said Sweeney and/or Neely - two guys that, to my knowledge, have never coached an organized children's hockey game, never mind NHL - have a say on the game day roster decisions and that would somehow interfere with their ability to fire the coach in charge of that roster.

I know what you're trying to say here, but it sure seems like ascribing certainty to speculation. Charlie Jacobs is Neely's boss. Does he get a say? Big JJ? Jerry Jr.? Peggy?

I think the only must here is Montgomery hands in the roster every game day, and gets strung up as a piñata when those rosters look sketchy. I don't think it matters who you or I or anyone else feels more richly deserves to have the candy beaten out of them.

OK its speculation on my part.

Which is about 90% of what everyone is doing here.

Honestly, do you think it's more likely that Monty just makes the changes without consulting Sweeney?

Absolutely

TO media and fans wanted Keefe gone after game 4 and are saying there is no he comes back. Many of us felt the same with Monty last night. Someone doesn’t survive for sure.

Sure, that's a rational decision.

 

[Number8]

I don't know if either Beecher or Shattenkirk are banged up.

I know Shattenkirk was not good in the first 4 games.

I believe they wanted to get Brazeau in the lineup as soon as he was healthy because of his play before the injury. Choosing Beecher to take out is certainly questionable after Zacha and Coyle were so bad on faceoffs in Game 4. But no one seems to be mentioning Beecher won 1 out 7 faceoffs in Game 3. And he was the least experienced forward in the lineup.

I don’t either. Maybe so on the banged up bit. If not, I’m disappointed in Montgomery.

My issue is/was that were up 3-1 in series. We were out scoring Toronto 14-7. Toronto was likely (turned out was) missing their 69 GS. Toronto massively struggles with strong forecheck below the goal line.

My game plan would have been more of the same — what was working. Puck possession, up tempo, aggressive forecheck. Keep it out of our zone and put them away.

Gryz is not suited to that game and he’d already been sat. Presumably because he struggled with heavy pressure hitting from Toronto in G1 and 2. Plus putting Gryz in screwed all the RD/LD assignments and it sure looked it. We were horrible in our own end for much of the game. And Gryz was not used a bottom pair - he played top 4 minutes despite us spending unhealthy amount of the first half of the game pinned in our zone. Without Swayman that would have been an ugly score. And Toronto didn't even look very good!!!

Meanwhile, Brazzeau has nice hands and does score. But he’s got only a small number of games not in the ECHL and he’s been hurt to boot. He has zero NHL PO experience — not a good time for on the job training based (presumably) on a hunch. He’s also not fleet of foot. If getting offense is not our biggest need (again 14-7 in our favor going in to last night) why throw him in then???

Meanwhile Beecher is still (even after G3) over 50% in FO% and along with Boquist been one of the speedier and physical players putting on a good forecheck and keeping Leafs where they are weak.

To me the changes made zero sense and felt like Montgomery’s seeming need to change things all the time. (I’ve never seen a coach change lines in games as much as we do — maybe why we were one of three teams with double digit TMI calls this year). To me it seemed change for sake of change.

It certainly wasn’t only problem and doesn’t explain why it took 1.5 periods to wake up, but a coaches job is to put us in best position to win. IMO, for the reasons above, Montgomery did not do that and I dont know why.

If it was a one time thing, okay. Live and learn. But since he did almost the exact same thing in a simply inexcusable fold in R1 last year i find it maddening.

 

[CDJ]

He’s a constant tinkerer, it’s not even that he does it game to game he does it shift to shift. It has pros and cons. The cons make you want to rip your hair out- sometimes you have to leave “well enough” alone. If it aint broke don’t fix it

 

[GordonHowe]

Results speak for themselves. This team has been absolutely terrible in the postseason since the early teens. In 18-19 they were gifted the easiest road to the cup finals they’ve probably ever had (and still choked to a lesser Blues team)

I thought it was Bruce, but then last season they did it again. Crushed the regular season and then played soft when it mattered (meanwhile, Bruce wins the cup).

I also thought it had to do with the even tempered core of Bergeron, Krejci, Rask, etc but they’re also gone and the team still plays lifeless. (Great guys and players but they strike me as “okey dokey!” leaders who aren’t going to call people out)

Could it be pasta? He’s been virtually invisible this series and since the start of the 2019 playoffs, these are his numbers

64gp - 29 goals. He has had 5 multi goal games in that stretch which account for 11 of them. That means since the start of the 2019 playoffs, he’s had 59 games with 18 goals.

That also means he has gone scoreless in 41 of those games.

Kind of brutal for the 8th highest paid player in the league

DON SWEENEY IS THE CONSTANT.

Yes, he's done better over his nearly ten year tenure but the results don't lie.

He appears incapable of building a playoff caliber team. He does not value the qualities that win in the playoffs.

It's not nice, but he's not up to it.

Neither, apparently, is Cam.

Ownership could care less, as long as the old man can get away with raising ticket prices without a peep and the rabble buy the and popcorn .

 

[stevebeans]

DON SWEENEY IS THE CONSTANT.

Yes, he's done better over his nearly ten year tenure but the results don't lie.

He appears incapable of building a playoff caliber team. He does not value the qualities that win in the playoffs.

It's not nice, but he's not up to it.

Neither, apparently, is Cam.

Ownership could care less, as long as the old man can get away with raising ticket prices without a peep and the rabble buy the and popcorn .

Excellent point. I think I just assumed Neely and Sweeney are locked in, I just accepted that reality. But yes, Sweeney is really bad and Neely enables it.

Seeing how long Bergy carried the team, makes me wonder how good this roster could have been with a better gm. He was gifted an incredibly solid core and just had a bunch of first/second round exists to show for it. (Barring the miracle cup run where they faced awful teams)

 

[bruinsfan1968]

Excellent point. I think I just assumed Neely and Sweeney are locked in, I just accepted that reality. But yes, Sweeney is really bad and Neely enables it.

Seeing how long Bergy carried the team, makes me wonder how good this roster could have been with a better gm. He was gifted an incredibly solid core and just had a bunch of first/second round exists to show for it. (Barring the miracle cup run where they faced awful teams)

Sweeney was working for the team 9 yrs before becoming Asst GM, then GM.
So this claim he inherited or gifted as you call it, is false! He helped build that core!

 

[UncleRico]

The coach that loses this series will be gone.

No doubt in my mind.

So Sweeney is potentially about to be on his 4th coach in 10 years?

At what point does the organization stop pointing fingers at the coaches and start pointing fingers at the people constructing the roster and hiring these coaches?

Or has the bruins fraternity run so deep they cant fire one of their brothers?

How long can we have the exact same issues under every coach before someone else gets held responsible?

 

[Maine Fan]

So Sweeney is potentially about to be on his ;th coach in 10 years?

At what point does the organization stop pointing fingers at the coaches and start pointing fingers at the people constructing the roster and hiring these coaches?

Or has the bruins fraternity run so deep they cant fire one of their brothers?

How long can we have the exact same issues under every coach before someone else gets held responsible?

You asked many deep thought out questions. You seem to be suggesting that just maybe ownership of the problem starts with those that constructed the team year in and year out. I agree with you. Thank you for saying so.

 

[DKH]

I like Monty but 2 years in a row he took the lineup that won two road games came home and made changes to both the defense and offense

Last year was nuts this year taking out Beecher for a player who hasn’t played in a month and is a great story but a bottom guy who lacks speed to begin with; Inserting Grz who struggled enough to get scratched now is inserted feeling extra pressure and I’d think his confidence is not at its highest

It’s incredible

It’s history repeating itself game by game, overtime in game 5 even with Grzelcyk on the ice

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on you (I hope I got that right)

They lose he’s gone - they win and get bounced by Florida he may be gone

I’m making decisions over there he’s in deep shit

He sounded rattled yesterday like he knows

 

[UncleRico]

I like Monty but 2 years in a row he took the lineup that won two road games came home and made changes to both the defense and offense

Last year was nuts this year taking out Beecher for a player who hasn’t played in a month and is a great story but a bottom guy who lacks speed to begin with; Inserting Grz who struggled enough to get scratched now is inserted feeling extra pressure and I’d think his confidence is not at its highest

It’s incredible

It’s history repeating itself game by game, overtime in game 5 even with Grzelcyk on the ice

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on you (I hope I got that right)

They lose he’s gone - they win and get bounced by Florida he may be gone

I’m making decisions over there he’s in deep shit

He sounded rattled yesterday like he knows

It’s much more than a montgomery problem. Since Sweeney has been GM they have a losing record at home in the playoffs 20-24. As well as a losing record overall in the playoffs.

It’s the very same issue no matter who the coach is.

 

[MillerTime29Bombs]

Question does Jr Jacob’s reside in Mass? Does he go to every home game and also go to work daily at TD? Curios is this his full time gig or just something he does as a side job for his dad?

 

[KnightofBoston]

Montgomery treats the team like I used to treat my garden

Sometimes you just have to sit back and just let it do it’s thing.

 

[DKH]

It’s much more than a montgomery problem. Since Sweeney has been GM they have a losing record at home in the playoffs 20-24. As well as a losing record overall in the playoffs.

It’s the very same issue no matter who the coach is.

I took a cooking class and the teacher said you can give everyone the same ingredients but get different results

My sister who actually is a very good cook would be taught by mother and complain it didn’t taste the same

It wasn’t until the Episode of Everybody Loves Raymond it occurred to us maybe like Raymond’s mother she was leaving out ingredients to her famous meatballs to his wife

Sweeney is providing the players and Monty is messing up to me

But Sweeney hired Monty

Otherwise everything has been good

Monty admitted he alone made lineup changes last season game 5 and didn’t even consult his assistant coaches

If you want to have Sweeney fired I think it’s wasted energy

If Sunday they aren’t playing I believe Monty gone

Ullmark will be traded (doesn’t LAK make sense ? For Bruins fan Alex Lsferriere works for me)

And a few guys gone

But Sweeney needs to miss multiple playoffs

Question does Jr Jacob’s reside in Mass? Does he go to every home game and also go to work daily at TD? Curios is this his full time gig or just something he does as a side job for his dad?

Yup

He’s over there all the time

He’s as into it as much as us

he’s obsessed

 

[BruinDust]

So Sweeney is potentially about to be on his 4th coach in 10 years?

In a league that has fired 17 of 32 coaches in twelve month period, four coaches in 10 years seems pretty good.

 

[UncleRico]

I took a cooking class and the teacher said you can give everyone the same ingredients but get different results

My sister who actually is a very good cook would be taught by mother and complain it didn’t taste the same

It wasn’t until the Episode of Everybody Loves Raymond it occurred to us maybe like Raymond’s mother she was leaving out ingredients to her famous meatballs to his wife

Sweeney is providing the players and Monty is messing up to me

But Sweeney hired Monty

Otherwise everything has been good

Monty admitted he alone made lineup changes last season game 5 and didn’t even consult his assistant coaches

If you want to have Sweeney fired I think it’s wasted energy

If Sunday they aren’t playing I believe Monty gone

Ullmark will be traded (doesn’t LAK make sense ? For Bruins fan Alex Lsferriere works for me)

And a few guys gone

But Sweeney needs to miss multiple playoffs


Yup

He’s over there all the time

He’s as into it as much as us

he’s obsessed

To me it’s looking more and more apparent the Ingredients don’t match and the cooks have an impossible job.

In a league that has fired 17 of 32 coaches in twelve month period, four coaches in 10 years seems pretty good.

Now do GMs and tell me how much longer of a shelf life Sweeney should have

 

[Number8]

To me it’s looking more and more apparent the Ingredients don’t match and the cooks have an impossible job.

I just don't believe that's the case. Last year we had everything we needed to make a long long run. Even the most ardent of Sweeney detractors would have to admit he put the Bruins in a great position. Yes he mortgaged the future to do it but few, if any, gave him crap for it. We should have been a strong Cup contender. Nothing wrong with those ingredients.

This year the team has performed admirably in what should have been very much a bridge year. I don't think any of us expect a Cup but, once again, the RS results will leave most of us feeling pretty salty if we don't make it past R1. The ingredients once again have performed well and were good enough to be one of the better teams in the RS.

This year maybe the ingredients aren't fit for a Michelin star restaurant meal, but it should be better than dumpster diving. And make no mistake -- G5 was a meal worthy of a dumpster dive at McDonalds when the trash company has been on strike for a month.

Cooks need to know when the meal prep is going well and and the customers are happy. Stop f***ing changing the recipe every single minute.

 

[UncleRico]

I just don't believe that's the case. Last year we had everything we needed to make a long long run. Even the most ardent of Sweeney detractors would have to admit he put the Bruins in a great position. Yes he mortgaged the future to do it but few, if any, gave him crap for it. We should have been a strong Cup contender. Nothing wrong with those ingredients.

This year the team has performed admirably in what should have been very much a bridge year. I don't think any of us expect a Cup but, once again, the RS results will leave most of us feeling pretty salty if we don't make it past R1. The ingredients once again have performed well and were good enough to be one of the better teams in the RS.

This year maybe the ingredients aren't fit for a Michelin star restaurant meal, but it should be better than dumpster diving. And make no mistake -- G5 was a meal worthy of a dumpster dive at McDonalds when the trash company has been on strike for a month.

Cooks need to know when the meal prep is going well and and the customers are happy. Stop f***ing changing the recipe every single minute.

Well that’s my point it’s the DNA of the team. Soft, mentally weak and crumble in the biggest moments. It’s been like that since the last couple seasons of Claude Julien and has continued through Montgomery.

Bruins are 42-43 under Sweeney in the playoffs and 20-24 at home in the playoffs. The last cosch that got blamed instantly won a cup with the right ingredients. So where is the disconnect here.

It certainly doesn’t help the bruins have $10m in healthy scratches on the bench right now on any given night either.

 

[neelynugs]

I like Monty but 2 years in a row he took the lineup that won two road games came home and made changes to both the defense and offense

Last year was nuts this year taking out Beecher for a player who hasn’t played in a month and is a great story but a bottom guy who lacks speed to begin with; Inserting Grz who struggled enough to get scratched now is inserted feeling extra pressure and I’d think his confidence is not at its highest

It’s incredible

It’s history repeating itself game by game, overtime in game 5 even with Grzelcyk on the ice

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on you (I hope I got that right)

They lose he’s gone - they win and get bounced by Florida he may be gone

I’m making decisions over there he’s in deep shit

He sounded rattled yesterday like he knows

danny boy nailed it. certainly there's blame to be sprinkled all over the management group, but coach looks like a
deer in headlights. wouldn't be shocked at all to see him in st. louis within a month.

 

[Number8]

Well that’s my point it’s the DNA of the team. Soft, mentally weak and crumble in the biggest moments. It’s been like that since the last couple seasons of Claude Julien and has continued through Montgomery.

Bruins are 42-43 under Sweeney in the playoffs and 20-24 at home in the playoffs. The last cosch that got blamed instantly won a cup with the right ingredients. So where is the disconnect here.

It certainly doesn’t help the bruins have $10m in healthy scratches on the bench right now on any given night either.

I don't think this team has been soft or mentally weak. Could we have more ingredients (like for example, Vegas)? Yes, but every successful team goes through periods where they can't replenish due to draft implications of success.

Regardless, even if someone would accept your premise -- this is the coach we are talking about:

“Rusty,” Montgomery said. “His wall work wasn’t as good as what it was usually. Still had a couple offensive plays. Didn’t get to his spots where he usually can hang onto pucks a little bit more. Did it a couple times. But not often enough. If he gets the opportunity to play again tomorrow night, we expect him to be better.”

So Brazzeau was "rusty". What a f***ing shocker. At the end of the season he was hurt and listed as week to week. Hadn't skated with the team and has never even sniffed an NHL playoff game other than, presumably, watching from the stands. Before that he played 19 games for the Bruins -- 19 NHL games. And Jim Montgomery is disappointed to find out that he was "rusty". Shocker that.

Mr. Montgomery, I have MENSA on line one for you.
Who?
MENSA
Can you spell that?
Never mind sir, they've hung up.

 

[UncleRico]

I don't think this team has been soft or mentally weak. Could we have more ingredients (like for example, Vegas)? Yes, but every successful team goes through periods where they can't replenish due to draft implications of success.

Regardless, even if someone would accept your premise -- this is the coach we are talking about:

“Rusty,” Montgomery said. “His wall work wasn’t as good as what it was usually. Still had a couple offensive plays. Didn’t get to his spots where he usually can hang onto pucks a little bit more. Did it a couple times. But not often enough. If he gets the opportunity to play again tomorrow night, we expect him to be better.”

So Brazzeau was "rusty". What a f***ing shocker. At the end of the season he was hurt and listed as week to week. Hadn't skated with the team and has never even sniffed an NHL playoff game other than, presumably, watching from the stands. Before that he played 19 games for the Bruins -- 19 NHL games. And Jim Montgomery is disappointed to find out that he was "rusty". Shocker that.

Mr. Montgomery, I have MENSA on line one for you.
Who?
MENSA
Can you spell that?
Never mind sir, they've hung up.

Bruins have lost 6 out of their last 7 game 5s ant home annd are 20-24 at home under Sweeney. As well as 42-43 in the playoff overall under Sweeney.

Yet they have the most regular season points in the league under Sweeney.

There’s a major disconnect between this team in the regular season and postseason. The numbers show the bigger the moment gets the more they turtle and lose.

They are mentally weak.

 

[mikelvl]

I'm starting to think Monty is Bruce Boudreau Jr., a very good regular season coach when the temperature isn't turned up, but when the playoffs start, as mentioned earlier, he's an absolute deer in the headlights.

The lineup changes for game 5 were completely inexplicable. Why change what is already working?!?!
He craps his pants when he's up three games to one, two years in a row.

 

[DKH]

I just don't believe that's the case. Last year we had everything we needed to make a long long run. Even the most ardent of Sweeney detractors would have to admit he put the Bruins in a great position. Yes he mortgaged the future to do it but few, if any, gave him crap for it. We should have been a strong Cup contender. Nothing wrong with those ingredients.

This year the team has performed admirably in what should have been very much a bridge year. I don't think any of us expect a Cup but, once again, the RS results will leave most of us feeling pretty salty if we don't make it past R1. The ingredients once again have performed well and were good enough to be one of the better teams in the RS.

This year maybe the ingredients aren't fit for a Michelin star restaurant meal, but it should be better than dumpster diving. And make no mistake -- G5 was a meal worthy of a dumpster dive at McDonalds when the trash company has been on strike for a month.

Cooks need to know when the meal prep is going well and and the customers are happy. Stop f***ing changing the recipe every single minute.

As an a guy who loves nothing more than the path of least resistance two years in a row it was presented to Monty after coming home beating 100 plus teams twice in playoff games in their barn (in honor of Jack’s last game) and do nothing

Just STFU about where Toronto big guys been and getting caught picking your nose on camera. Roll out exact same lineup

Walk into room and say ‘you guys know what to do let’s put them out of their misery’

And go stand behind the bench and make sure there aren’t any too-many-men on the ice penalties

If he’s not coaching next week he won’t be here coaching next Fall

 

[Number8]

Bruins have lost 6 out of their last 7 game 5s ant home annd are 20-24 at home under Sweeney. As well as 42-43 in the playoff overall under Sweeney.

Yet they have the most regular season points in the league under Sweeney.

There’s a major disconnect between this team in the regular season and postseason. The numbers show the bigger the moment gets the more they turtle and lose.

They are mentally weak.

I think the possibility of a RS/PO disconnect is fair -- and I don't want to dismiss what you say out of hand.

My only point was that doesn't absolve Montgomery of his responsibilities and impact of same.

You may think the ingredients aren't perfect and that's fine. But just because the ingredients aren't Prime A, doesn't mean the chef also isn't in over his head. Montgomery seems like a nice guy but I'm beyond frustrated that he did his Playoff thing to us AGAIN.

He needs to put things back the way they were, leave it alone, and hope they close this out. If we lose this series I would be shocked if he's not promptly shit canned.

 

[Hookslide]

You old timers will know what I mean. You youngsters will be scratching your heads.

When I was a kid, we had to sometimes work magic to get TV38 to come in. Sometimes getting a decent picture and sound at the same time was a real chore. Finely adjusting the top dial - nuancing it somewhere between the inexact notches on the dial somewhere between say 36 to 39 territory. Impossible to know where because it sure as hell wasn't digital. That effort was done in concert with careful adjustment of the rabbit ears, sometimes even the orientation of the set itself, often a few whacks on the side as if that would do something. It required patience, a deft touch, and the ability to experiment - but not too wildly. Like adjusting the derailleur on a bike. Small changes, reset. Small changes, reset. Start getting bold and changing everything at once? Usually a poor result. And if there was bad weather? Times all of that by two.

It also required the ability to sometimes accept something that was working just fine, if not absolutely 100% perfect. Actually, often perfection was very much the enemy of perfectly fine.

You know who Jim Montgomery is? That asshole who -- in the middle of the game while we are all settled in our seats with beers and happily watching -- starts f***ing with the antenna to make it "perfect". The guy who ends up costing us all the better part of the period watching static -- after he screws up a good thing and then starts essentially from scratch.

There was usually a bench clearing brawl we'd hear about on the snippets of audio while he's ham handing things to boot. No worries though, we could just "rewind" once the signal comes back on, right???? f*** that, we could.

No. You know who Jim Montgomery is???? He's the guy that did that to us last week and now has the f***ing audacity to do it again THIS week.

Can't remember too many times I've been more angry as a Bruins fan in 50+ of watching endless games.

You forgot to mention the tin foil wrapped around those rabbit ears, and just when you get a good picture you have to get off your ass and move them again...........how was that for I had to walk in the snow to school story YES! DAMMIT I AM OLD.