What Jim Montgomery has accomplished in the regular season in his two seasons as head coach of the Bruins has been nothing short of remarkable. Last year’s team set the NHL record for wins and points. This year’s team has exceeded expectations and is once again near the top of the standings, on the verge of clinching another Atlantic Division title.
The playoffs, however, obviously did not go as planned last season, with Boston getting stunned by the Florida Panthers in the first round. Montgomery came under criticism for not getting his lineup right and for sticking with Linus Ullmark too long in net.
It raises the question: What happens if the Bruins come up short in the first round again this season? Could Montgomery’s job be in jeopardy?
Making his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Thursday, former Bruins coach and NHL analyst Mike Milbury weighed in. Listen to the full interview above.
“Boy, I don't see how you could [fire him],” Milbury said. “But then again, I don't see how you can't comment on that. If he has that kind of firepower as he did last year and they're out in the first round, and clearly he didn't handle it as well as he should as his first run-through here. But they had a historic season.
“This year, boy, did anybody see this coming? The results? I didn't see it coming. I didn't see [Charlie] Coyle and [Pavel] Zacha playing one-two at center after replacing [Patrice] Bergeron and [David] Krejci and they almost seamlessly get to 110, 111 points over the course of the season. It’s been remarkable.
“But the whole deal is, you have some fun during the regular season, but you've got to make some advancement during the postseason. I don't know how they change coaches if he loses in the first round again, but it's gonna certainly put him on thin ice. But I don't see them doing it.”