By: Jason Cooke | Follow me on X @cookejournalism
The Boston Bruins are getting a new version of their head coach. With the B’s sliding to extreme low points this early in the 2024-25 season, Jim Montgomery has resorted to the stick as opposed to the carrot. He lit into Brad Marchand on the bench in Boston’s loss to Utah. He’s scratched Morgan Geekie. And most recently, he benched David Pastrnak in the team’s 2-0 win on Sunday.
Often dubbed a “player’s coach,” Montgomery was seemingly a breath of fresh air for the Bruins’ locker room after the departure of Bruce Cassidy. But that’s also because, under Montgomery, the Bruins have been good. Very good. When you post a record-best season in 2022-23 and another commendable campaign the following year, Montgomery’s hand was rarely forced to make a statement. Until now.
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But after Boston’s 2-0 blanking over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, it’s clear the Bruins are embracing Montgomery’s approach to right the ship. Charlie Coyle, who scored his second goal of the season in the win, welcomed Montgomery’s tactics to send messages to the team when their play isn’t up to standards—even if that player is Pastrnak, one of Boston’s prized goal scorers.
“We all play on the same team,” said Coyle. There’s no special treatment for anyone. I think that’s how it should be. I think we all take responsibility. If you ask any one of us who have been in that position who have gotten an earful or whatever, it’s probably for good reason. We’re all competitive and we all want to play, but we all got to be responsible in our own way.
“Monty holds us accountable, and that’s only going to make us better individually, but as a team as well. I don’t think guys would change that. We’re grown enough to accept that. We know when we mess up, but sometimes there needs to be something said or an action that takes place, and we’re all accountable for that. Everyone goes through it, but we’re a team in here and everyone is on the same playing field. I think that’s what makes us a good team.”
Pastrnak logged seven shots on goal in Sunday’s win while being an active member of the Boston attack. But to Montgomery, his giveaways and lack of attention to detail seemingly outweighed that sentiment. Therefore, he elected to sit his superstar player for the majority of the third frame. Still, it didn’t affect Pastrnak’s emotion on the bench.
“He wasn’t silent,” said Coyle. “He was bringing energy, he was talking, and he was into it. That’s a sign of a good teammate right there. That’s why he wears a letter and that’s why he’s one of our captains and our leaders. There’s a lot to be said for that.”
Charlie McAvoy agrees, echoing a similar remark when asked about Pastrnak’s benching. He said that he’s looking forward to his performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday and that he believes he’ll have a big game.
“That’s huge because he’s one of the most important players on our team and he’s an assistant captain,” McAvoy said of Pastrnak staying positive on the bench. “He’s so vital to this group, and like I said, the only thing that matters is us getting two points.”
Montgomery’s coaching style has done just that. As the Bruins came out of the gate skidding into a lull, Boston’s coach provided his team with the simple reminder of what matters most: two points. Well, that’s what the Bruins got on Sunday, just some 24 hours removed from two points the day before.
“One of the things that we know here and can’t let lost here, and we spoke about it, is the only thing we play for here is the crest,” said McAvoy. “It was good to hear that again because it really doesn’t matter the individual accolades. It really doesn’t—the only thing that matters here is team success. That was kind of where I could turn my focus to, ‘OK, maybe I’m not getting points right now, and that’s frustrating, but guess what, it doesn’t matter.’ We just need to win. It doesn’t matter what the stat lines look like. It just matters if the Bruins get two points tonight. “
McAvoy alluded to Brad Marchand for being a catalyst to that mentality. When Boston’s captain got screamed at on the bench in Utah, he took it on the chin and didn’t turn it into something bigger. Marchand has now recorded six points in his last five games.
“Brad is big on that,” said McAvoy. “He has sort of an old-school mentality about accountability and players holding each other accountable. You heard what he said a while back with Monty when Monty was yelling at him on the bench, how he’s fine with that. Maybe that’s something that people in today’s day in age couldn’t really believe. But he’s big on players holding each other accountable and coaches holding players accountable. That’s the only way to breed this winning culture.”
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