St. Louis Blues fire coach Drew Bannister, hire ex-Bruins coach Jim Montgomery

The St. Louis Blues have fired coach Drew Bannister and hired Jim Montgomery as his replacement, whom the Boston Bruins just fired on Tuesday.

The team announced Sunday morning that Bannister, 50, was fired after a 9-12-1 start. Montgomery, who was fired Tuesday by the Boston Bruins, signed a five-year contract to become Blues coach, where he was an assistant from 2020-22.

The Bruins went 65-12-5 in 2022-23, Montgomery’s first season, setting NHL records for wins and points in a regular season. He was honored with Coach of the Year accolades for that campaign.   The Bruins went 47-20-15 in 2023-24 before losing in the second round of the playoffs. This season, he led the Bruins to an 8-9-3 mark through 20 games. Montgomery also coached the Dallas Stars for two seasons, leading that franchise to a 60-43-10 mark between 2018 and 2019.

The Blues will face the New York Rangers in New York on Monday.

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