Boston Bruins head coach Montgomery has fond memories of his Rosemount High School Days

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery says the  public school system played a  key role in his success later in life. 

“I think my education at Montrose Elementary and Rosemount High prepared me for success at the University of Maine, ”   Montgomery said prior to the Bruins’ final regular-season a game against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.  “The teachers were dedicated and held you accountable. If you had a thirst for knowledge, you get it.”

Montgomery enjoyed success in the classroom and on the ice at Maine. While earning his degree, he was a scoring machine. He’s fourth on the all-time NCAA scoring list with 301 points He had 95 points in his senior year  in 1992-93, but finished second in team scoring behind  Paul Kariya, who had 100 points.

The Black Bears won the NCAA title that season  with a 42-1-2 record, the best in the NCAA history In addition to Montgomery and Kariya, the roster included future NHL goaltenders Garth Snow and Mike Dunham, who shared the workload throughout the season.  Montgomery signed with the St, Louis Blues as undrafted free agent . He played 67 games as a rooki,e but was traded to the Canadiens  for Guy Carbonneau the following summer. His tenure in Montreal was brief. He played only five games before he was traded to Philadelphia. He made later stops in San Jose and Dallas, but played most of his 12-year career in the minors. 

After his playing career ended, Montgomery turned to coaching, He served as an assistant coach at RPI and Notre Dame before getting his first head coaching job with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL. He won two titles in three seasons in Dubuque and was hired as the head coach at the University of Denver

Montgomery started to attract attention from NHL teams after he coached the Pioneers to an NCAA title in. 2017.  He turned down several offers before joining the Dallas Stars in 2019. He was dimissed midway through his second season in Dallas because of problems with alcohol abuse. He underwent a successful rehabilitation program and returned to coaching as an assistant with the Blues.  Last summer he joined Bruins and led the team to a record-setting season. The Bruins won a record 65 games and amassed 135 points. That eclipsed the record of 132 set by the 1976-77 Canadiens, the team Montgomery rooted for as a youngster. 

While Montgomery hasn’t lived in Montreal for the past 30 years, he has retained with childhood friends. Many of them played minor sports coached by Jim Montgomery Sr., an all-around athlete who boxed for Canada at the 1956 Olympics. About 20 of his friends attended the Bruins’ morning skate at the Bell Centre and Montgomery said he obtained 35 to 40 guest passes for a mini-reunion after the game.