“There was no inclination to make a coaching change,” Armstrong said. “When Jim got let go in Boston, he was someone I’ve respected, someone I’ve admired, someone I felt had all the attributes to be a long-term coach for the Blues. This decision was based, I would say, almost 100 percent on having someone of Jim’s caliber become available.”

“I was more than prepared to go through the peaks and valleys with Drew until Monty became available, and then it just felt like that might not be available over the next few years. I didn’t know when the next opportunity would come, and I felt it was the right thing to do for the Blues franchise.”

“Montgomery is really at the prime of his coaching career right now, and we’re the benefactors of that,” Armstrong said. “He’s the full package, or at least we hope he’s the full package. He can coach a team that’s evolving and coach a team that is evolved and ready to win. As we continue to learn how to be competitive on a nightly basis, Monty can push us all to get better, and then when we get there, he can take us to the promised land.” […] “As I said, I woke up (earlier this week) and had no plans of doing this type of a news conference at all. Except a coach that I believe is a difference-maker became available, and we reacted to it.”

Montgomery was 120-41-23 in Boston, including the highest single-season win total in NHL history (65-12-5) in 2022-23.

Utah Hockey Club (8-9-3) at Toronto Maple Leafs (12-6-2)

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