DKH
Awful takes/ Fraudulent Insider
- Feb 27, 2002
- 73,933
- 51,325
Tom Johnson coaching the Bruins in 1971 was a disaster
I thought the guy was an asshole as well
Monty Revisited
- Thread starter Aussie Bruin
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I thought the guy was an asshole as well
DKH
Awful takes/ Fraudulent Insider
- Feb 27, 2002
- 73,933
- 51,325
It's pretty much as i suspected with him. I said it multiple times in game threads that he was A problem, but not THE problem. Ultimately the blame still falls with Sweeney for building such a reprehensible roster, but Monty wasn't blameless.
He probably felt slighted by Sweeney if those rumors about negotiations going sour were legit, which leads to him not caring (some of those pressers just before he got canned were really bad), which in turns leads to the room turning on him. The signs were in his body language as pointed out.
Anyone who thought he was a bad coach were wrong given the Blues were the definition of mid prior to his hiring and now they look like a team i'd rather not play in the first round. Meanwhile, the Bruins got worse because the guy they replaced him with was honestly worse than even checked out Monty in some aspects.
I got no ill will towards the guy. He's a good coach and seems like a good enough guy outside of work. Wish him nothing but success.
He probably felt slighted by Sweeney if those rumors about negotiations going sour were legit, which leads to him not caring (some of those pressers just before he got canned were really bad), which in turns leads to the room turning on him. The signs were in his body language as pointed out.
Anyone who thought he was a bad coach were wrong given the Blues were the definition of mid prior to his hiring and now they look like a team i'd rather not play in the first round. Meanwhile, the Bruins got worse because the guy they replaced him with was honestly worse than even checked out Monty in some aspects.
I got no ill will towards the guy. He's a good coach and seems like a good enough guy outside of work. Wish him nothing but success.
Who else was he supposed to put in there? Most of the AHLers suck and it's not his call to make to bring up a Lysell, Murk, or whoever.
Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
DKH
Awful takes/ Fraudulent Insider
- Feb 27, 2002
- 73,933
- 51,325
I don’t like him as a human and he was a Canadiens legend and drinking buddy of Harry’s
Screw him in that bow tie
DKH
Awful takes/ Fraudulent Insider
- Feb 27, 2002
- 73,933
- 51,325
Only HFB could the GM who built an all time team be shit on the year he did it
Monty wins a round he will have a cult following
Monty wins a round he will have a cult following
Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
This is the HF I know and love. Greatest regular season ever that was celebrated high and low. Guy coaches a team to a playoff round win somehow and then a slow start and he’s out the door. Now all the posters lauding him for a great regular season ripping him. Predictibly he is finding success in his dream job
I never really liked him, glad he’s gone but I do love the changed narrative by so many.
I never really liked him, glad he’s gone but I do love the changed narrative by so many.
BigBadBruins7708
Registered User
Yeah, its almost like he's the main reason that "greatest regular season" didnt get out of the 1st round in the playoffs between playing a banged up Bergeron and Krejci in meaningless games causing them to miss playoff games or starting and leaving in an obviously injured Ullmark in game 6.
nORRis8
The NHL, the stupidest League ever.
He learned a valuable lesson in '71...do not take anything for granted.
He had to actually coach in the Finals vs the Rangers especially tough decisions with the goalies.
1972-73 the poor bastard was way over his head.
No Cheesie.
No Turk.
No Westfall
No Green
No Pie
Bobby didn't start playing until November.
Eddie Johnson alone in goal.
Tommy Johnson didn't last long.
Over the volcano
Registered User
If they want to go with a stopgap then bring me a Claude Julien two year farewell tour with special guest Brad Marchand.
Amazing how every sentence and thought in that post turns back on itself and in the end the whole thing says nothing.
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Sounds like excuses. You really think he made all the calls on personnel?
The don godfather
Registered User
Just pointing out how many people have zero credibility and change their minds when these players or coaches are ex employees. Cassidy was mean to the players. Monty was really an idiot. Good stuff
McGarnagle
Yes.
- Aug 5, 2017
- 28,328
- 37,520
My thoughts:
Monty is a frontrunner - great guy when things are going well - and jumped out to a great start in the 22-23 season when there weren't great expectations for that team and no pressure on him. Tactically a good coach. His breakouts and attacking style made the best of his roster.
The problem is mentally he's weak. The big moments get to him, he goes into full panic mode come playoff time, and more than anyone he carries the weight of responsibility for the collapse that year. Fiddling around with the lines after great road victories in games 3 and 4, seeing a goalie who was clearly and obviously injured and waiting six games to make a change (and this isn't just a matter of leaving Ullmark to dry, it's also throwing Jeremy Swayman to the wolves by putting him in ice cold after two weeks into a do or die winner takes all game.). Benching Grzelcyk as punishment when Ullmark gave the pick away in overtime of game 5, then watching Clifton get beat over and over in game 6. Etc, etc.
I'd be more forgiving of that if Jim showed any accountability at all over that. But every press conference was deflecting blame, like "ask Goalie Bob". His interviews from earlier this year when things were going bad showed more of that attitude.
When the team is doing well, he's a great guy to have around and practically a motivational speaker. When things turn south, you get a guy who runs from responsibility and passes the blame around.
My opinion of how things went down this year is that Sweeney wasn't willing to commit to him long term so extension talks were slow and they were waiting to see how the team performed with the additions to the roster. He then went and signed guys like Lindholm who didn't fit well into the preexisting system. That plus the Swayman situation made training camp a complete disaster and I think Monty became more and more aloof from the team. And the elephant in the room is that I am 99.999% sure that there was some tampering going on with Monty and Doug Armstrong. Who reached out to who first is up in the air, but knowing that extension talks were not progressing, plus the fact that Jim and his wife had a fondness for the St. Louis area, I'm sure that they were talking and Monty had a job lined up. And since the team lost a lot of guys to retirement and free agency and stumbled out of the gates and he saw greener pastures. Wouldn't be bold enough to say he tanked it intentionally to get fired, but I am confident that his heart wasn't into fixing things here and he was checked out for the first few months knowing that if he was fired he'd have the job he really wanted within a week.
Monty is a frontrunner - great guy when things are going well - and jumped out to a great start in the 22-23 season when there weren't great expectations for that team and no pressure on him. Tactically a good coach. His breakouts and attacking style made the best of his roster.
The problem is mentally he's weak. The big moments get to him, he goes into full panic mode come playoff time, and more than anyone he carries the weight of responsibility for the collapse that year. Fiddling around with the lines after great road victories in games 3 and 4, seeing a goalie who was clearly and obviously injured and waiting six games to make a change (and this isn't just a matter of leaving Ullmark to dry, it's also throwing Jeremy Swayman to the wolves by putting him in ice cold after two weeks into a do or die winner takes all game.). Benching Grzelcyk as punishment when Ullmark gave the pick away in overtime of game 5, then watching Clifton get beat over and over in game 6. Etc, etc.
I'd be more forgiving of that if Jim showed any accountability at all over that. But every press conference was deflecting blame, like "ask Goalie Bob". His interviews from earlier this year when things were going bad showed more of that attitude.
When the team is doing well, he's a great guy to have around and practically a motivational speaker. When things turn south, you get a guy who runs from responsibility and passes the blame around.
My opinion of how things went down this year is that Sweeney wasn't willing to commit to him long term so extension talks were slow and they were waiting to see how the team performed with the additions to the roster. He then went and signed guys like Lindholm who didn't fit well into the preexisting system. That plus the Swayman situation made training camp a complete disaster and I think Monty became more and more aloof from the team. And the elephant in the room is that I am 99.999% sure that there was some tampering going on with Monty and Doug Armstrong. Who reached out to who first is up in the air, but knowing that extension talks were not progressing, plus the fact that Jim and his wife had a fondness for the St. Louis area, I'm sure that they were talking and Monty had a job lined up. And since the team lost a lot of guys to retirement and free agency and stumbled out of the gates and he saw greener pastures. Wouldn't be bold enough to say he tanked it intentionally to get fired, but I am confident that his heart wasn't into fixing things here and he was checked out for the first few months knowing that if he was fired he'd have the job he really wanted within a week.
Most of us were calling for his head as the season went on. Let's not rewrite history here. You're free to go back to the old threads from earlier in the season to look yourself.
The constant tinkering of the lines most likely lead to the huge, almost inconceivable amount of Too Many Men penalties last year.
KnightofBoston
Registered User
GAME 5.
Don’t hurt me like that
Besides, no guarantee the bruins make it past any of the other good teams that year due to the same issues that led to them losing against the cats
AngryMilkcrates
End of an Era
- Jun 4, 2016
- 16,095
- 25,546
I question if the GM ever had Monty in his future plans.
Either he knew his coach's mind was to want to leave, or he was planning for life beyond him already.
The team assembled this summer could not play the style Monty utilizes nor did Jim even try to change his coaching plan.
This was a fumbled summer for Don and I wonder if this is what he will be known for beyond all his teams successes with him at the helm.
Great to see him happy and successful with St. Louis.
If we did not move on from him the result would have been the same and possibly even more painful.
Either he knew his coach's mind was to want to leave, or he was planning for life beyond him already.
The team assembled this summer could not play the style Monty utilizes nor did Jim even try to change his coaching plan.
This was a fumbled summer for Don and I wonder if this is what he will be known for beyond all his teams successes with him at the helm.
Great to see him happy and successful with St. Louis.
If we did not move on from him the result would have been the same and possibly even more painful.
What we feel as fans have no bearing on what the actual people in charge do. It was super clear to everyone that watched and was here when it was going down that Monty had checked out. One of our insiders disclosed information about his wife wanting to go back to St Louis and the Blues having a contract ready for him if Toronto had beat Boston. As Fenway said, there's no way Sweeney wasn't aware of tampering by the Blues and for whatever reason, has chosen to let it go.
Sweeney is on the hot seat for sure. He's one of the better GM's in the league but the direction could use a new course. I think another poor start to next season and he's gone, if not gone when this one is up.
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