ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues have fired Drew Bannister as the team’s head coach and replaced him with Jim Montgomery after a recent losing skid that saw the team drop 7 of its past 9 games.
Bannister had been on the job in St. Louis for less than a year since succeeding Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube and getting the interim tag removed after last season. The Blues have lost 13 of their first 22 games.
Montgomery, who was let go by the Boston Bruins last week, was signed to a five-year contract to become the 28th coach in franchise history.
The club announced the move Sunday morning with a press release.
"Jim Montgomery has long been a favorite of the Blues," said KSDK's Sports Director Frank Cusumano. "He coached the Bruins to their best regular season ever. He has a certain amount of charisma, something the Blues have lacked since they fired Craig Berube. He is regarded as a high energy and positive thinking coach. A good hire."
Montgomery, 55, has spent the previous two-plus seasons with the Boston Bruins. During his tenure, the Montreal, Quebec, native led the Bruins to the top regular-season record and point total in the NHL (120-41-23, 263 points) as well as consecutive playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.
Montgomery spent two seasons as an assistant on Berube’s staff in St. Louis between coaching Dallas and Boston. The Bruins fired him less than a quarter of the way through the season given their rough start.
The Blues next play Monday night in a game against the New York Rangers in New York. The team has been outscored by an NHL third-worst 21 goals so far this season. Their 9-13 mark has them 6th in the Central.
This is a breaking story. The Blues have a news conference set for Sunday and the story will be updated as news becomes available. Stay tuned to 5 On Your Side for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
