Blues Replace Drew Bannister with Jim Montgomery as Head Coach

[@poejavelski148]

Imagine setting an NHL record for points and wins in a season, following it up with a 107 point season, then having a few bad weeks to a new season because the roster sucks, and then getting fired. Sweeny sucks. It’s a no brainer that he got scooped up this fast.

[@MarkVrem]

Put that way, the Bruins management sounds like a bunch of clowns out of their depth

[@adambarnes4191]

Fans are partially to blame for this.

[@justjohnny420]

Not that he was fired because of playoffs but I find it funny that same coach is 9-11 in the playoffs

[@quebon2]

One could say Bannister was a good coach for the Blues and HE got fired over a few bad weeks with a much weaker roster than Boston.

[@jonah.donohue]

@@adambarnes4191 Management

[@theawkwardgamer8798]

Jim Montgomery was with the Blues before he accepted the Bruins offer, and pretty sure he was expected to be the replacement to Berube originally

[@jasonmccaslin821]

He was an assistant coach with the Blues before he was hired by Dallas as head coach. He had to go in for Alcohol rehab though. Then he got hired by Boston.

[@robertneighbours1625]

nice to see my nephew Jake leading the Blues in goals-keep it up.👍👍

[@WarHorseMumbles]

That's neat to see family of a player here

[@IHateMyAccountName]

Absolutely let him know how much we appreciate Jake. He reminds me a lot of David Backes.

[@andycompton]

Ah, that's so cool! Jake is such a great Blue. Love the way he plays the game.

[@Tylrp]

Your nephew is gonna be captain of this org one day mark my words!

[@Whatdoyouwant904]

Kids a beast, ain’t afraid to battle. He’s got future captain written all over him.

[@TheOriginalTuhat]

Good time to remind everyone that Monty headed the blues’ top-of-the-league power play back in 2022

[@IHateMyAccountName]

And brought the eventual cup winner to the brink in a playoff series.

[@vipeholmskolan6052]

Jim wasn't the problem in Boston. Good hire for the Blues!

[@rossgreggson4832]

As a blues fan, I don’t think any of us are expecting a 2019esque comeback. It’s moreso that we got our guy, the guy we wanted originally to replace Berube. In 2+ years we can talk about a playoff run. For now let’s develop our young guys and get competitive again

[@TheOriginalTuhat]

Yeah. Could be a similar comeback situation… if not for the fact that we don’t have O’Reilly, Pietrangelo, Tarasenko, Barbashev, Dunn, or Perron in the lineup anymore 😆😆

[@edkozdron]

@@TheOriginalTuhatOr Edmonson, Gunnerson, Bouwmeester, Maroon, and Steen!

[@daveyoung9484]

That's alot of missing players

[@TheOriginalTuhat]

@@daveyoung9484 a lot of missing GOOD players lmao

[@jert33]

Precisely

[@SamG91]

Love this for St. Louis, missed opportunity for a lot of teams

[@nedeninja420f8]

Can't see that jeresey without saying how much of a beauty it is

[@stevenking9357]

Love that jersey, I wished they'd bring it back.

[@leerollins]

As a Blues fan I honestly feel it was because Monty became available. He was by all accounts a very good assistant here and had a great working relationship with the organization. he's also, of course a fantastic coach. He became available, and I honestly feel pretty enthusiastic that he's going to be here to lead the rebuild.

[@shellisherwood]

Army just had a press conference and said it was an opportunity he couldnt pass up

[@danieldosso2455]

I mean, STL has a deeper team than Boston, at the cost of lacking an overwhlemingly dynamic forward like Pasta. But Binington can be a top 10 goalie

[@quanchi371]

STL is always hurt

[@IHateMyAccountName]

The big thing is seeing how Dvorsky develops.

[@mazukakai]

Soon as i saw he'd been fired, i knew Armstrong would make this happen. Maybe not instant results, but this is gonna pay off while this young roster finds its feet. Excited as a Blues fan

[@jasonmccaslin821]

Yup. Same here.

[@joshuaguste6883]

How poetic would it be if the Blues won a cup? That would be damning for Bostons upper management that they did this twice.

[@nottherocketman]

A few things: Doug Armstrong has said that this move was made because Monty became available and Army didn't want to let him slip away. Also, I believe the Blues are leading the league in Man Games Lost right now; the injures have been BRUTAL so far, and they have been key players injured as well. So, while I don't entirely blame Bannister for the Blues current situation, he looked overmatched almost every night. I'm really glad that Army was aggressive here in going after his guy because Monty wouldn't have been unemployed long.

[@Impulsedrive]

According to Aves broadcasts, They are the only team that has lost any significant man games, and they are the only team that is injured at all times.

[@rossgreggson4832]

@@Impulsedrivemost garbage broadcast team in the nhl

[@OldRustySteele]

The Av’s broadcast team is absolute garbage. By far and away the worst in the NHL.

[@meddyven]

Bannister can't help if the team resembles a MASH ward. You can only mix and match soo much when many of your regular 3 lines are out.

[@nottherocketman]

@@meddyven I agree, it's unfair to lay this entirely at his feet. The bigger issue to me, is that the team just isn't performing well. Even with the injuries, they should be better than they are. Lots of winnable games have been lost because they fall behind early and can't rally late. That's not a recipe for success.

[@AdamLaMore]

Been refreshing for this all morning

[@tbell61]

As a Blues fan, I just need them to play better. Score more goals, don’t get blown out 8-1, goaltending has to be MUCH better. Playoffs would be a bonus, but I just want them to trend upwards.

[@IHateMyAccountName]

Monty was a very involved assistant coach in 2022. This will help.

[@MarkCMG]

Thanks for the video! Quick move for Montgomery. Nice landing!

[@RyanA__]

The lineup for the blues is better than last year which means they technically should’ve seen improvement. Bannister being bipolar with the young talent such as Bolduc is frustrating. It’s also frustrating when he healthy scratches Texier who looks good and I’m sure Armstrong wasn’t happy with that because he was just picked up during offseason. The injuries were definitely hurting the Blues and I’m hoping to see a better bounce back. Montgomery is definitely miles ahead of Bannister.

[@winkywinks1048]

Expectations as a BLUES fan…no, I don’t expect a cup. I expect a wild card chance. We are a better team than last year; I expect better results

[@trumpetjersey]

As a Blues fan I think this is more of a let’s get the guy we want who also wants to be here instead of we need to be better NOW

[@mercywilliams2698]

Happy for Coach Montgomery! Let’s go, Blues! Cmon Bruins ownership! Time to offer a different management energy and vision..🏒🥅⭐️⭐️⭐️💥

[@nadaduo1765]

They went full Monty

[@314jph]

Love love love that Reebok 3rd jersey.

[@robocock475]

Thank God STL got him instead of Trashville

[@-HiddenInPlainSight-]

Got to be a sinking feeling when a coach you just fired days ago immediately gets hired and signed to long term contract

[@oldhab7890]

I wish Montreal would have signed Montgomery. He is an upgrade on most NHL coaches.

[@mikemurphy4993]

Drew Bannister has the personality of an assistant coach, not head coach. Reminds me of former Blues coach Davis Payne who was replaced by Ken Hitchcock.

[@DeeJayObi]

Yup, you hit the nail on the head. He's like Davis Payne's clone in this regard. Never strikes me as a head coach material.

[@Frank-r1j]

Bruins fan. I was hoping Monty would hold out for a Top 10 job. I'd like to see him go for the Cup. Sweeney is the one who should have been fired. He really blew it in the offseason.

[@gordonmacdowell8117]

The Blues got on the Montgomery sweep stakes to beat the post US Thanksgiving rush.

[@justinl1352]

As a Blues fan we are definitely not about to go on a run to make the playoffs, and I don't think anyone should expect us to be. Way more expectations for us to still get a top 9 pick this draft. We are still missing Broberg and Leddy and we are about to go into a really really rough stretch. This is completely about the Blues wanting Montgomery. Bannister, sadly, was just a placeholder until they could get the guy they really wanted. That guy is Monty, and as soon as he was available they jumped at it.

[@Jason-rk4nd]

Wish Ottawa had fired green and hired this guy. There goes that ship.

[@Underdogbassist]

I heard from a reliable source that Drew Bannister is available

[@FirewagonHockey]

Green was a dumb hire in the first place. Nobody is convincing me he was rlly the best fit fof Ottawa.

[@Xave1402tbk]

Same has a Habs fan, I wanted him to replace St-Louis

[@jonah.donohue]

I forgot Ottawa hired Green😅🤣

[@mattgardiner744]

@@Xave1402tbkif the Habs drop st Louis I’d hope the sens grab him

[@ThomasKCarpenter]

I think they were more interested in getting Monty than getting rid of Bannister, however, I don't think he did himself any favors with how the team was playing

[@Kayametra]

Aside from promoting Steve Ott from assistant to head, Montgomery is probably the best option they have. He already knows the organization and what Armstrong wants

[@davidcaunter5346]

Good luck Coach! As a Bruins fan I held the front office more responsible for the slow start. I thank you for a couple of memorable seasons even if they didn’t end the way we wanted. 🙏

[@PastorMattSkiles]

All of us St. Louis Blues fans could see this coaching change coming. Jim Montgomery has strong St. Louis connections and his wife is from St. Louis and he loves the St. Louis community. He will be a major improvement and hopefully the Blues can turn it around.

[@charlesharrington3890]

He is where he belongs with the Blues. I think he was our guy all along.

[@stevenking9357]

Monty still has a house in St. Louis as well.

[@rontrabaroe4247]

Lol Bruins Lmao Sweeney

[@Psalm136HisMercyEnduresForever]

The speed and timing suggests there was something brewing.

[@thebestwingsfan]

And there goes any chance of the Wings making a comeback this season.

[@MtHockey]

Blues fan here since I was a boy in '67. This team is not the '19 Cup team. No way will Monty bring this group to the promised land. This is a transition towards the upper eschalon with a top coach leading them. Monty has some job security with the Blues.

[@brad1716]

Not surprised, just didn’t know which bottom 16 team was going to scoop him up.

[@tdfmtig]

The Bruins have absolutely 0 depth the only thing keeping them relevant is goaltending. The wrong guy got fired

[@defaultuser1447]

Many said that when Berube was fired.

[@michaelrudd1927]

Umm might want to take a look at their goalie stats next time real quick 😂. Sway was under an .890 sv% and Korpi was like a .901% before the last 2 games. True of last season sure but goalies are allowed to be good imagine if the Rangers had Skinner not Igor. Its almost the same team as last season which lost the division on the last day. They just aren't playing up to their own standards for whatever reason.

[@woodsie22]

I didn’t have huge expectations before the season, but the games themselves have been super frustrating. I’d honestly rather have the team look horrible for 60 minutes than clawing defeat from the jaws of victory over and over again. That’s led me to leave a few games a bit angry.

[@zacharyharms3149]

The Blues are going to be just fine. Just give it another 2-3 years. They'll be back in the mix.

[@jonathankarberg9985]

I' d say 2-3 months, not years.

[@brandonsmith5488]

Not scoring goals is a reeeaaaaalllll detriment to this team

[@rodchallis8031]

I think the Blues will have to play around .650 hockey for the rest of the season to make the playoffs.

[@casstippit766]

Ya this was definitely move to secure the future not fix the present. Army basically said as much during the presser today. Even the most hopeful blues fan has no expectations for the rest of this season. Lol

[@ryankrause618]

goated jersey

[@acwagner88m]

I’d give anything for the blues to bring that jersey back. With that being said, thank you bannister, but WELCOME BACK JIM MONTGOMERY

[@stevenking9357]

Love that jersey.

[@PesSkeptCyn]

Former Stars personnel leading the Blues. I guess it’s not the first time. Always liked Montgomery as coach when he was in Dallas. I wish him well but not too well. :)

[@GodWeenSatan]

I CALLED IT!!!

[@marsters9109]

I guess Montgomery didn't fit the Habs' criteria: Local bilingual guy, experience at the NHL level, implements a strong system....oh, wait😂

[@kmccart85]

OK to expand on your points, Those later games are all vs teams that are ahead of them. So, if can uncork that magic bottle. It looks hopeful. Blues fan keep your fingers crossed

[@kylehyde9710]

3-0-1 so far. It hasn’t been an easy schedule but all smiles so far.

[@JohnDoe-hu9ve]

Still love seeing THG in a blues jersey (as long as it’s not the awful red one)😂 I’m ready for Steve Ott to get this job.

[@stevenking9357]

Ott will get a head coaching job but it will be with some other team now that the Blues have a coach with a 5 year contract.

[@32a34a]

Congrats to the Blues for hiring Montgomery. The Bruins made a huge mistake in my opinion.

[@SpeedandSplendor]

That may be a good road trip for them to turn it around. They are playing a lot of teams they need to make ground on.

[@Cowboy-6666]

5-2 in his first game as coach. Good start, team looked good last night. LGB!

[@fubartotale3389]

Despite his apparent Jeremy Colliton like stubbornness, I hope the Hawks don't give up on Richardson too soon.

[@Mechanicsville804]

I think this is a great hire and I think MAYBE they could sneak into the 8th seed this year but I think more likely Montgomery could really mold this young team in to a team to compete in a year or two.

[@katysinclair1353]

Where did you get that hat? ❤

[@maxrates]

Lol @ Bruins

[@Z0raPlus]

Not gonna lie, I wanted Monty to go to Detroit but good on the Blues for the quick thinking.

[@sethschackmann6200]

As much as I love your enthusiasm on maybe repeating 2019 Stanley Cup I just don’t think we have the right players. I agree with the coaching change but I don’t think it’s going to make the difference needed to succeed in the playoffs. But if it did that would be the GREATEST STORY EVER!

[@michaelfondaw6752]

This gives me 2019 feelings.......now we just need some rookie goaltender

[@dannybobby13]

Number don’t give Binner any credit he is the only reason most games are even close. Not his fault he plays his ass off night after night

[@stevenking9357]

Binner can't win every game for them....not when the team struggles to score 2 goals a game.

[@rwurmb6962]

#MitchMarner bound - I can be hopeful lol Go Blues!

[@jasonmccaslin821]

This is an awesome move. 💯%

[@gabrieladkinsGS]

As a St. Louis fan it's fantastic. If Jim cannot get the bums to play fantastic then it's on the bums. The Blues have been well below the mediocrity we expect as fans...

[@DucksUpDogsDownCatsSlide]

Good hire by the Blues.

[@ethanburns4011]

Thanks Dubas for not picking up Montgomery. I guess you like to see the Penguins suffer. How does Dubas still have a job in the NHL? He’s the new Milbury.

[@meddyven]

The Penguins still have their rose colored glasses on thinking this group has one more run in them. Dubas is loco. Pittsburgh having not made the playoffs two consecutive seasons, was the writing on the wall.

[@Robert-ki7bz]

Great move by the Blues. They have enough talent to remain very competitive this year. I think Dylan Holloway can be a key for them.

[@jeffmiller1848]

With everything going on, injuries, unsteady lines, many new players they seem to lack flow or discipline. Just throwing energy at the other team the way they have has hurt them. Hopefully there will be more structure.

[@fubartotale3389]

The Blues should send Boston a nice fruit basket this Christmas.

[@andygrenn680]

Never heard of Drew Bannister…until tonight…

[@Bluenote55]

Monty was picked up to manage this team with 5 first rounders ready to join them in the next year or 2. The potential for a powerhouse is there and hopefully he'll pull it all together for them.

[@Wogger72]

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANY TEAM! SIMPLY SEEING IS AN ACT OF CREATION

[@retflo2583]

Thanks, nice one

[@ACErob-me9ss]

The blues wanted monty cause he's a great coach, and Banister wasn't, so now it's all on the players, and they have no excuses. Also, the blues are a very young team, and all the pieces are not in place yet, but now we have a great coach

[@RanceMcManus]

Wow!

[@teddysaiilor]

Montgomery was going somewhere, and fast. there is no lack of teams in the NHL that would like a new coach, especially one as great as Jim, the blues were just the fastest

[@billyp8675]

Monty gets to go to winter classic!

[@johnryder2066]

Nice start for Monty @ MSG. Bolduc may become a star.

[@rushilb6]

This is pretty much a glorified promotion when you think about it cuz Montgomery used to be the blues assistant

[@georgehand]

I said Montgomery wouldn't be out of a job for long but I didn't think it would be this quick or that he would land with the Blues

[@dizeestl]

Our roster is gross and our key players are SHOCKER underperforming. But Bannister is still a terrible coach and I am happy this was made.

[@Vis_Electra]

Detroit Fans in shambles right now. Altho, the Red Wings could just take on Drew Bannister. He is legit. And I wouldn't lay the blame for St. Louis' record solely on him. Last year both Binnington and Hofer overperformed. This year they both had slower starts.

[@DeeJayObi]

Dude, sorry to burst your bubble, but you have few things wrong there. I don't think Bannister is "legit". Watching him coach this season was painful. His line management was atrocious the last few games. Yeah, he was solid last season, but the team was already hungry and fighting for new contracts. Secondly, Binnington didn't "overperform". He IS that good. And he still has been, but the team in front of him is letting him out to dry. Most of the times he kept the Blues in game... even though they usually didn't do jack with it. Like the last game against Isles.

[@stevenking9357]

When your team struggles to get 2 goals a game, don't expect the goaltenders to pull out the win every night.

[@trapjohnson]

Listening to Armstrong's comments, it was BOTH a change is needed and a once in a long while opportunity that needed to be seized, hence 5 years I would guess.

[@chrisnelson2770]

Can you do a video on Nashville? Cant see them making the playoffs this year, time is running out

[@tomfilipiak3511]

They,are starting to smoke,fire pretty soon,we will see but old usually ain’t gold,in sports,unless your Johnny Bower,I 1967!

[@blackhawks9763]

Detroit failed bad by not signing him.

[@Ryangr7]

So far the blues at 2-0-1 so im happy we have 5 out of 6 possible points. I’m hoping for a winning record through Dallas.

[@steve.c.74]

The sad reality is this would’ve been done last season had they blew a second consecutive 3-1 series lead in the playoffs. That Game 7 OT win bought Jim time, regardless of in season success, it’s a cold blooded business.

[@Blackwolf454]

As a Dallas fan it makes me a little salty that we had him then he goes his demons and Dallas has to fire and he gets hired later. Just kinda sucks tbh

[@Balvenie9091]

Need more air time for Shadow. He's like a young Pachino.

[@robertkemp185]

Hope Drew Bannister was treated with respect. Reminds me of NBA Bucks firing of a good coach (Griffith) to hire Doc Rivers. Doc Rivers the high profile head coach has not been performing very well

[@FurySK]

Late to the party, but i'd say this: i was expecting the team to play fast and direct. I think they did that early in the season when they got behind in games and managed to come back and win some of them, but overall played too much Tiki-taka to borrow a soccer term. They wanted to shoot more on grade A or closer to grade a chances, and pass to find them. When they did that, the puck would find one of several players with mediocre puck control or mediocre passing, and it wasn't good enough. So while i wasn't pulling for bannister to get fired, i was hoping they'd eventually play more to the strengths of the team and get to the net and grind out some rebound goals. Under Monty they have been more direct overall (though they still get a bit cute at times), and i think they stand a good chance at sneaking into a wild card spot, which is where i think many of us projected them to be. I think based on what you've seen written, many of us viewed them as a team just good enough to not top 10 the draft, but not good enough to make the playoffs via a divisional seed and having to instead rely on a WC spot if they were to do well enough. Think it's the right move for the Blues, and think Bannister will definitely get some more chances as losing your entire left side to injuries defensively and your top center is enough to cripple a lot of teams. Suter was signed to play 4 out of every 5 games as a 3rd pairing guy, and was instead top pairing for 13-14 games there. If he finds the right fit in terms of the team composition he has a chance to do really well.

[@HOBOTw1tcH]

So does he still get paid by Boston since he was under contract? I’ve always wondered how coaches and contracts work. He was under contract and fired so that doesn’t nullify the contract right? So now he has 2 paychecks?

[@stevenking9357]

Yep Monty is double dipping now.

[@4517onlyglory]

Yzerman is in shamble rn he's out if the wings is playing like this for the whole year

[@tt128556]

A missed opportunity for Detroit and some other teams on the verge of making it to the playoffs for a first time in ages.

[@Miner-zn4lt]

Conspiracy floating around is Jim already had one foot out the door. No energy behind the bench, Blues staff attending a few Bruins games, Montgomery not accepting 3 extension deals offered. Then the other night Sweeney said they are removing guys who do not want to be there. We will of course never know but thats what I've read today

[@HHSGDFootballJPD]

What were the extension deals?

[@Miner-zn4lt]

@ not 3 sorry, multiple was the word used. We don’t know the details but my guess is the bruins wouldn’t sign for 5 years

[@GoodMenstruationAttitude]

That didn't take long 😅