Boston Bruins bench boss Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year after guiding his club to a historic regular season in 2022-23.
The Bruins established new NHL benchmarks for points (135) and wins (65) in a single season in what was Montgomery's first year in Boston. A two-way powerhouse, Boston scored the second-most goals and allowed the fewest. The team boasted the No. 1 ranked penalty kill and the 12th-best power play.
The Bruins were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers, but the award is determined at the end of the regular season by a poll among the NHL Broadcasters' Association.
Montgomery was previously the head coach of the Dallas Stars before he was fired in 2019 for unprofessional conduct. He checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse less than a month after his dismissal.
"For those who struggle out there, you can change, you can affect change within yourself, and it doesn't happen alone," Montgomery said during his acceptance speech. "You need a team. You need a community."
Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils and Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken were the two other finalists. The Devils snapped a four-year postseason drought and set a new franchise record for points (112). The Kraken, meanwhile, made the playoffs for the first time ever in their second season.
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