Management Montgomery fired - Sacco named interim coach

[Spanky185]

I pounded the table for Claudes dismissal for 2 seasons.
I understood moving on from Bruce, and I understand moving on from Monty after how the team had looked to start this year.

But the problems with this team are higher than the HC. Sweeney needs to go, and Neely with him. I almost miss Chiarelli

 

[TheRealChrisKelly]

the writing was on the wall, but Monty was the fall guy. Sweeney (and Neely) should have been shown the door too. Roster is very devoid of high end talent and has a lot of money tied up in guys who aren't going to get the job done

 

[Gordoff]

I hope Montgomery gets scooped up by an Eastern team and they go on a run and we get a Monty Vs Cassidy cup final . I'd love to be a fly on the wall in Neely office. (Definitely not a water bottle though)

Oh yeah, what if you're a fly on the wall and he hits you with that water bottle?

 

[Cronuss]

Fluto was on that sports show with Holly and Felger. The guy is an idiot. He said the players are quitting on Swayman cause he isn't earning the 8.25 mill. Then he ends it with saying that he is just guessing it.
Also, you are trying to tell me McAvoy (9.5 mill), Lindholm (7,75mill), Pasta (11.5mill), Coyle (5.25mill), ... are quitting on a player because he isn't earning his pay? they better look in the mirror.

^ This is a problem. McAvoy is not playing like the stud we expected. And Lindholm isn't giving much at all. Early flashes when he was up for contract, then fell off. And Pasta at 11.5? Crazy money...

 

[Olden McGroin]

 

[easton117]

I would never contend otherwise.

I will be shocked if this is anything other than a caretaker position as they line up their next proper long-term head coach.

Whoever that is, they better know how to coach a three zone, defensively sound game.

Hair would be a plus.

I would never contend otherwise.

I will be shocked if this is anything other than a caretaker position as they line up their next proper long-term head coach.

Whoever that is, they better know how to coach a three zone, defensively sound game.

Hair would be a plus.

Having no other feeling

I would never contend otherwise.

I will be shocked if this is anything other than a caretaker position as they line up their next proper long-term head coach.

Whoever that is, they better know how to coach a three zone, defensively sound game.

Hair would be a plus.

Sometimes I get the gamble feeling I used to have in my university days. I don’t listen to that guy too often anymore though he did put me through a solid year of free eating (thanks Proline!).

I have a Quenville feeling. It just adds up. Would I put my mortgage payment on it? No.

Would I put 100 down on some long odds? Yes. Yes I would. If I still listened to that guy. Which I don’t. But I do miss free food.

 

[HumBucker]

Good luck Monty, wherever you end up.

I don't know what happened to this team so far this season, but there's some kind of attitude problem among the players. These are pro players who should be playing better, but I guess it ultimately falls on the coach, and something had to be done.

I'm not laying as much blame on Sweeney. We're still feeling the repercussions of the "going all in" move at the trade deadline two seasons ago. This recent off season, getting E. Lindholm made sense. I don't mind the Zadarov signing. Need to overpay for UFAs. Both are underwhelming right now, but so is virtually the entire team. I think it's quite possible they'll prove valuable come playoffs (if we get there - gulp). Maybe the return for Ullmark could have been better. Could we have kept Jake. Probably not. I would have kept Heinen.

But is Sweeney the reason this team's core stars are playing like crap? I don't think so. Even if the players were dissatisfied with management moves or even coaching philosophy, it's still their job to make it happen on the ice. For the fans who pay their salaries, and, as they're all fond of saying, for the crest on their jerseys. Not seeing that from these players.

I don't know what's knocked this core's compass out of whack, but I hope the new coaching staff can get it back where it needs to be.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

We had one GM for 40 years or whatever so I’m sure the bruins aren’t the best to compare.

But at the same time how many coaches do you remember who were the winningest coach of their era did you see get fired after barely over 2 years.

Do you have even one example of that?

Not of that exact thing no. I mean, Monty’s first year was a literally unprecedented season in terms of RS success, so it’s virtually impossible to name a direct comparable given that reality. I will say that it interesting to lean so heavily into that part of his resume while leaving the playoff performance of the team (in which he himself admitted to his own mistakes) unmentioned.

The closest recent comparable I can think of is Darryl Sutter getting canned the year after winning the Jack Adams. Not at all direct, but along the same lines.

Coaches are usually the first to go when things go south rapidly. There was no reason, even with a great 2022-23 RS to believe that it would be an exception for Montgomery this season. Regardless of roster, the team looks terrible and the coach is often the scapegoat. Monty seems like a great guy, and certainly is a skilled coach given his ascension to the sport’s highest league, but he’s not outside what are for better or worse the “norms” of the industry.

 

[GordonHowe]

The most important question here in regards to whether this is Monty or Cam/Sweeney's fault:

Is the team good on paper? Is this roster good?
Yes or no?

I'll stand by my statement that the team, even as presently constructed, can be much better than what we have seen thus far.

Go ahead and blame Sweeney and Neely, who, after all, hired Montgomery to begin with.

Yet, to me anyway, much of the malaise was due to poor coaching.

Chaotic. Inexplicable. Inexcusable.

I could supply a dozen examples of poor "coaching decisions" that have led us to this pass.

The abysmal, strikingly uncharacteristic facts & statistics speak for themselves, loudly and harshly,

Maybe the 2024-25 Bruins are just … bad?

The 2024-25 Bruins opened the year with so much promise. But after a 5-1 loss to Columbus, Boston looks like an uncompetitive club.

www.boston.com

The Bruins haven't been this terrible across the board in a long, long time.

Reading Conor Ryan's summary above, it is stunning how bad the team has been in nearly every conceivable category through its first 20 games or so.

Sincere good luck to Jim Montgomery wherever he lands.

It's time to move on.

So, however underwhelming the results may prove going forward,

Let's move on.

 

[RoccoF14]

I pounded the table for Claudes dismissal for 2 seasons.
I understood moving on from Bruce, and I understand moving on from Monty after how the team had looked to start this year.

....and how'd those first 2 moves work out for the Bruins?

 

[PlayMakers]

9 years of winning what?

I was referring to a conversation Lou and I had earlier. He said after two super successful seasons Monty deserved more than 20 games.

And I said, by that standard (regular season not playoffs), Sweeney has had 9 successful seasons. He's literally 1st in the NHL since 2015-16 with a .660 win percent.

 

[PlayMakers]

To be optimistic, coaches learn from their mistakes and firings and so Sacco MIGHT be ready to be a good coach. He might have some new ideas that Monty didn't like. We have to wait and see. If we see the same dud effort next game we will know it was not at all on the coaching. If they play well, well then they obviously had no interest in being coached by Monty any longer for whatever reason. That's how sports goes.

If this fails badly I think Sweeney will be fired. Not sure what happens to hero Cam. Probably nothing. If this fails badly it likely signals rebuild and I can't see Sweeney being left in charge of that but who knows.

You have to wonder too, how long it will take for Sacco to implement any changes. They have so few practices and you can't just change a system with a white board. It takes hundreds and hundreds of reps for it to become second nature, which is when you really start playing fast because you don't have to think out the options anymore.

 

[RoccoF14]

^ This is a problem. McAvoy is not playing like the stud we expected. And Lindholm isn't giving much at all. Early flashes when he was up for contract, then fell off. And Pasta at 11.5? Crazy money...

I agree that our most highly paid players have to be better, so please don't think I'm cutting them some slack, but lets take a step back for a minute...

McAvoy was paired with Grizz, prior to this year and statistically, they were one of the stronger D pairings in the league. Even last season, when Griz had a crap year. Who does he get this year? Mason Lohrei who is a major work in progress.....and Nikita Zadorov, who's a career bottom paring guy with the Hockey IQ of a raisin. Now he's paired with Oesterle...

Pastrnak? He's literally the ONLY legitimate goalscoring threat left on this roster. You shut him down, you shut down the Bruins offense. You think other teams don't know that? Still, he's got 17pts in 20 games.

Lindholm (Hampus) is hurt, and the other Lindholm is continuing his regression from last season.

Marchand is putting in the effort, but his 37yr old body doesn't have it anymore. Gee, didn't see that coming....

Nobody should be shocked by any of this, so what do we do? Bump an assistant to head coach and hope.....

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

....and how'd those first 2 moves work out for the Bruins?

They did a complete 180 both times

 

[BadBruins]

Big picture. Doesn't deserver this fate. His record speaks for itself. Hopefully the handful of multi-millionaire skaters on the ice feel shame. They won't.... For long anyway IMO.

Realistically, we all knew this was the only option. Montgomery likely knew it as well. Was only as matter of time. This is a last ditch effort to save the season. Can't lose if you're management. Also gone if things fail IMO.

 

[PlayMakers]

The most important question here in regards to whether this is Monty or Cam/Sweeney's fault:

Is the team good on paper? Is this roster good?
Yes or no?

It is a playoff-worthy roster, yes.

Everyone here thought it was on October 1st. All the pundits thought it was on October 1st. People around the league expected them to be a playoff team.

They've been abysmal for 20 games and the recency bias has people saying everybody sucks, but they don't. Put our "crappy" players on good teams and they're good players again.

 

[Clode]

I remember simpler times just a few months back everyone was so excited after winning a round and everyone clamoring about all the cap space at Sweeney’s disposal lol

That's before we all realized just how badly Florida had melted their brains

 

[RiverbottomChuck]

Great breakdown. LQ is easily becoming one of the best voices on the Bruins imo.

 

[nORRis8]

Finally a positive thread
No seriously, I feel bad for Monty. Listening to plenty of Podcasts today and I agree, he will not be unemployed long.

This team is odd. It's horrible in every way in practically most team stats yet are about .500.

It's always a sad day when a coach is let go, but they are hired to be____________.
Just looking at it, the turnover of players from the record setting 2002-3 team is immense. Some retired, some left, some traded. Thus it was left up to Monty to mold this team. Something had to give.
And it did today.

 

[RiverbottomChuck]

That's before we all realized just how badly Florida had melted their brains

You think that's bad try having the daughter of one of the og STH's and probably their biggest fan as your fiance lol.

 

[Clode]

4 coaches in less than 10 years for Sweeney. Would any good coaches even want to come here knowing they most likely have 3 years or less?

And the three he's fired are all Jack Adams winners. Wonder if there is any other GM in the league with that kind of track record....

 

[PlayMakers]

Fluto was on that sports show with Holly and Felger. The guy is an idiot. He said the players are quitting on Swayman cause he isn't earning the 8.25 mill. Then he ends it with saying that he is just guessing it.
Also, you are trying to tell me McAvoy (9.5 mill), Lindholm (7,75mill), Pasta (11.5mill), Coyle (5.25mill), ... are quitting on a player because he isn't earning his pay? they better look in the mirror.

Not just Fluto saying that. Marchand has hinted at it, Monty said something to that effect, even Swayman suggested he's lost the respect of the room.

There is definitely some ill will towards him about how he went about his contract negotiation.

Not that that is THE reason they're losing, but it's certainly one of the many reasons they're out of sync (along with lack of offense, power play, penalty kill, Dzone structure, Nzone structure, fitness level, compete level...)

 

[RiverbottomChuck]

Finally a positive thread
No seriously, I feel bad for Monty. Listening to plenty of Podcasts today and I agree, he will not be unemployed long.

This team is odd. It's horrible in every way in practically most team stats yet are about .500.

It's always a sad day when a coach is let go, but they are hired to be____________.
Just looking at it, the turnover of players from the record setting 2002-3 team is immense. Some retired, some left, some traded.So something had to give.
And it did today.

View attachment 933097View attachment 933102

What a team, that lineup is absurd and it's crazy they didn't go to the finals.

 

[PlayMakers]

I'm not laying as much blame on Sweeney. We're still feeling the repercussions of the "going all in" move at the trade deadline two seasons ago. This recent off season, getting E. Lindholm made sense. I don't mind the Zadarov signing. Need to overpay for UFAs. Both are underwhelming right now, but so is virtually the entire team. I think it's quite possible they'll prove valuable come playoffs (if we get there - gulp). Maybe the return for Ullmark could have been better. Could we have kept Jake. Probably not. I would have kept Heinen.

But is Sweeney the reason this team's core stars are playing like crap? I don't think so. Even if the players were dissatisfied with management moves or even coaching philosophy, it's still their job to make it happen on the ice. For the fans who pay their salaries, and, as they're all fond of saying, for the crest on their jerseys. Not seeing that from these players.

I don't know what's knocked this core's compass out of whack, but I hope the new coaching staff can get it back where it needs to be.

Yeah, all the roster complaints and prospect pool complaints feels so hypocritical to me.

I don't remember people saying they should save all those draft picks when the Bruins were going for it year in, year out for 10 years of contention. I don't remember people saying this roster was trash before the season. Now that they've struggled, everybody is saying they knew all along they were going to be terrible?

 

[RoccoF14]

It is a playoff-worthy roster, yes.

Everyone here thought it was on October 1st. All the pundits thought it was on October 1st. People around the league expected them to be a playoff team.

They've been abysmal for 20 games and the recency bias has people saying everybody sucks, but they don't. Put our "crappy" players on good teams and they're good players again.

But that's just it. This isn't a good TEAM. Its got a handful of good players who can't carry the rest of the squad, yet they are easy to blame because they get paid the most....This is who we rolled with against Columbus. That ain't a playoff worthy roster.

Marchand-Lindholm-Brazeau
Frederic-Coyle-Merkulov
Pastrnak-Geekie-Zacha
Viel-Beecher-Johnson

Oesterle-McAvoy
Zadorov-Peeke
Lohrei-Carlo