We are now about a quarter of the way into this NHL regular season, and it has been a very busy week around the league. Particularly, we have our first coaching changes of the season.
The first coaching change came from the Boston Bruins, who fired their head coach Jim Montgomery and replaced him with interim head coach Joe Sacco, a Bruins assistant coach since 2014. This coaching change comes after a disappointing start to the season, albeit they currently sit in a playoff spot. The Bruins are one of those teams that have extremely high expectations year after year and do not accept mediocrity.
Montgomery had started his third season coaching the Bruins, and finished with an amazing record: 120–41–23. However, his success over the prior two seasons couldn’t save him from the cutting block after the Bruins’ struggles, especially their troubles on special teams, at the start of this season.
But, fortunately for Montgomery, he was not out of work for long. The second team to make a coaching change this week was the St. Louis Blues, announcing they had fired head coach Drew Bannister and replaced him with Montgomery on a five-year contract. The Blues have also struggled out of the gate this season, and their front office felt that a change was needed; they could not pass up on Montgomery while he was available on the market.
With two quick coaching changes made, this is a good time to discuss the importance of coaching in the NHL. Coaching in the NHL is arguably more important than in any of the other major sports, for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, NHL coaches are active for the entirety of games, as they are constantly telling which lines to go out onto the ice and signaling to players on the ice when it is time for a line change. In addition, head coaches must always be aware of the situation and the opposing team’s players, as some lines are better fit to play in certain situations over others.
NHL coaches also set the foundation for how their teams play. Some teams play with completely different styles and in completely different systems than other teams, and that is all due to coaching. Therefore, NHL teams are quick to make coaching changes, because they feel that their coach’s system no longer works and that a new coach is needed to bring a new system in.
As this season goes on, it will be interesting to observe further coaching changes. History tells us that they will come, and that they are crucial in determining a team’s future.
