Bruins name Jim Montgomery head coach

The Boston Bruins named former Dallas Stars bench boss Jim Montgomery the 29th head coach in franchise history, the team announced Friday.

"Jim has a winning history, and throughout the interview process, he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure. We are excited for Jim to begin to make his imprint on our team," general manager Don Sweeney said.

Montgomery served as an assistant coach on the St. Louis Blues' bench for the past two seasons. He was named head coach of the Stars before the 2018-19 campaign and led them to the playoffs after they failed to qualify the previous two seasons.

The Stars fired him midway through the following campaign due to unprofessional conduct. Less than a month after his dismissal, Montgomery revealed that he checked into rehab for alcohol abuse.

Overall, the Stars went 60-43-10 under Montgomery.

Montgomery replaces Bruce Cassidy, who was fired by the Bruins after they were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs.

Boston made the postseason in each of Cassidy's six seasons as head coach, but the team only advanced past the second round once. The Bruins fell to the Blues in seven games in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

Cassidy was hired by the Vegas Golden Knights shortly after his departure from Boston. The Bruins announced that they signed Sweeney to a multi-year contract extension earlier this week.