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Blues sack coach Drew Bannister, hire Jim Montgomery
Written by Sports Desk. Posted in NHL. | 24 November 2024 | 126 Views
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The NHL’s in-season coaching carousel has made another turn.

The St. Louis Blues announced Sunday they have fired Drew Bannister and replaced him with the newly available Jim Montgomery.

Team president and GM Doug Armstrong announced the sudden change Sunday after the Blues’ disappointing 9-12-1 start to the season.

Montgomery, the 2022 Jack Adams Award winner, was fired by the Boston Bruins just five days ago.

Montgomery will join his new team in New York ahead of Monday’s game against the Rangers.

St. Louis fired Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube last season and named Bannister the interim bench boss.

In May, the Blues removed the interim tag from Bannister’s title.

Montgomery spent the last two full seasons leading the Bruins to 100-point seasons and play-off appearances, but both post-season runs ended against the Florida Panthers.

Boston opened the season 8-9-3 under Montgomery before he was fired, and the Bruins have won both their games under new coach Joe Sacco.

Among the NHL’s 32 teams, this is the 23rd coaching change since January 2023.

After missing the playoffs last season, the Blues are 30th in the NHL in scoring this season at 2.36 goals per game. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer haven’t fared much better in goal with a combined .885 save percentage.

 

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