The Dallas Stars made a sudden, surprising move on Tuesday with the firing of head coach Jim Montgomery, despite the team's race for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot. The team cited "unprofessional conduct" as the reason for this move, but did not give specific details of what caused them to do this. The team's general manager Jim Nill made a statement releasing the news on this incident, but only called it a "material act of unprofessionalism." He did also confirm that no one else was involved in this act, meaning no one else's jobs are in jeopardy.
Nill claimed that he could comment on this any further, but did say that this behavior was a "total surprise" to him. This reportedly involved a thorough investigation, which included going through Montgomery's records before finalizing the decision. Whatever the incident is came to light on Sunday night, but he did assure that this firing had nothing to do with the league's new policy on coaches' abuse.
The team spoke with Montgomery on Tuesday morning before announcing their decision later in the day, as they showed confidence that the team will be able to "get over this." The 50-year-old Montgomery was in his second season, this after coaching the University of Denver for five seasons. He led the Stars to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his lone full season with them, and had two years at $1.3 million per season left on his deal. The team will be led by Rick Bowness on an interim basis, as they currently sit in fourth place in the Central Division following a shutout win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
Nill claimed that he could comment on this any further, but did say that this behavior was a "total surprise" to him. This reportedly involved a thorough investigation, which included going through Montgomery's records before finalizing the decision. Whatever the incident is came to light on Sunday night, but he did assure that this firing had nothing to do with the league's new policy on coaches' abuse.
The team spoke with Montgomery on Tuesday morning before announcing their decision later in the day, as they showed confidence that the team will be able to "get over this." The 50-year-old Montgomery was in his second season, this after coaching the University of Denver for five seasons. He led the Stars to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his lone full season with them, and had two years at $1.3 million per season left on his deal. The team will be led by Rick Bowness on an interim basis, as they currently sit in fourth place in the Central Division following a shutout win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
