The Boston Bruins are having a fantastic season so far, but former NHL defenseman Keith Yandle believes one person deserves the credit.
Yandle spoke with NBC Sports Boston and discussed why he thinks the coaching change that the Bruins made is the biggest reason for the team’s success.
“The biggest thing is the coaching. Bringing in Monty — he’s a guy everyone loved in Dallas,” Yandle told NBC Sports Boston. “I’ve played with guys who played for him in college, and they loved him. The way that the guys are playing, they’re playing hard for him and playing loose.
“I think Cassidy was a great coach, and he did a lot of great things, but sometimes just getting a fresh face in for those guys that have been there for a while with him has really helped them out this year,” Yandle added. “They’re just playing loose, even (against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday) they’re down a goal, and they’re pressuring, even when they tie it up, they’re still pressuring. They’re not playing on their heels. It just looks like they’re having fun and trying to win games.”
The Bruins fired Cassidy on June 7th and hired Montgomery on July 1st. The move seems to have paid off, with Boston at the top of the Eastern Conference and looking like legit Stanley Cup contenders.
There were rumors that Cassidy may have struggled to connect with younger players like Jake DeBrusk. With Montgomery at the helm, DeBrusk is on pace to have one of the best seasons of his career. So far in the 2022-23 season, DeBrusk has 14 goals and 14 assists.
DeBrusk did admit that he was excited for a fresh start with Montgomery.
“It’s a fresh start, obviously. There’s different systems; maybe there’s different things — we’ll all find that out as we go along through this training camp,” he said. “But I think that it definitely brings a new element to it, obviously. It’s going to be different than any other camp I’ve been here before. So it’s exciting, and it makes you eager for training camp.”
Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what is needed. While Cassidy is a great coach, his message and tactics might have grown stale in the Bruins’ locker room. If Boston can maintain their high level of play for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, it’s difficult not to credit Montgomery for what he has done in such a short period of time.
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