BOSTON — 42-1-2. Any University of Maine Hockey fan should know that's the record of the 1993 Black Bear team that captured the school's first National Championship.
The captain of that team, Jim Montgomery, has returned to New England. 'Monty' was named as the new head coach for the Boston Bruins 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," Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney said in a press release.
After his time in Orono, Montgomery played 14 years of professional hockey between the NHL and AHL. He was named the head coach at the University of Denver in 2013 where he won a national championship with the Pioneers in 2017.
The 53-year-old then made the move to coach at the NHL level. Montgomery coached for the Dallas Stars from 2018-2020. His last stop around the NHL before coming to Boston was in St. Louis where he was an assistant coach for the last two seasons.
Montgomery takes over for Bruce Cassidy who was the head coach in Boston for six seasons. Cassidy was let go by the Bruins this summer and was named the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights last month.