By Canadian Press

St. Louis Blues fire Drew Bannister and hire Jim Montgomery as coach

Nov 24, 2024 | 9:46 AM

Drew Bannister is out as coach of the St. Louis Blues after less than a full calendar year on the job. Jim Montgomery is back behind the bench of an NHL team five days after he was fired by the Boston Bruins.

The Blues fired Bannister on Sunday and hired Montgomery as his replacement, a stunning move a quarter of the way through the NHL season that puts a seasoned coach in charge of keeping St. Louis’ Stanley Cup-contending window open. President and general manager Doug Armstrong is scheduled to address reporters on a video call in the afternoon, while Montgomery is joining the team in New York on Monday.

Armstrong showed no hesitation in cutting ties with Bannister, who had the interim tag removed from his title and was named full-time coach in May. Bannister was promoted from Springfield of the American Hockey League to replace 2019 Cup-winning coach Craig Berube last December, and the Blues missed the playoffs despite winning 30 of their final 54 games.

They lost 13 of their first 22 games this season following a roster overhaul that included poaching young forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg from defending Western Conference champion Edmonton and adding several players as they attempt to get back into the postseason.

That’s now the job Montgomery, 55, is tasked with — and one he has accomplished elsewhere. Every team he has coached for a full season has qualified for the playoffs, and his .659 points percentage ranks among the best in NHL history.

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The Bruins opted to move on from Montgomery after their rough start, going 8-9-3, with the final defeat being a 5-1 home loss to Columbus. Boston won 120 of 184 regular-season games with Montgomery running the show, including setting the league records for victories and points in 2021-22 when he was the obvious choice for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the Year.

His second act as a head coach in the NHL came after Montgomery’s first ended abruptly. Hired by the Dallas Stars in 2018, he led them to the second round and then was fired in December 2019 for unprofessional conduct.

Montgomery called his dismissal appropriate, entered rehab and began putting his life back together. He got his re-entry into hockey from the Blues, with Armstrong hiring Montgomery as an assistant on Berube’s staff in September 2020.

That was the first sign of the longtime executive’s affinity for Montgomery, and the latest comes with job security. St. Louis signed him to a five-year contract.

Montgomery is the latest coach to be fired and re-hired midseason, a more common occurrence in the NHL than most professional sports leagues. Being out of a job for mere days is reminiscent of Bruce Boudreau’s experience in 2011, when he was fired by Washington on a Monday morning and replaced Randy Carlyle in Anaheim later that week.

This is the 23rd coaching change among the league’s 32 teams since January 2023, with the Blues among those making multiple moves in that time.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press