Dallas Stars previously had warned Jim Montgomery about his relationship with alcohol
Former Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery released a statement, and admitted he has a drinking problem, but this is not the sole reason he was fired from the team on Dec. 10.
According to sources, there was a specific incident that led to the Dallas Stars’ firing of Montgomery, but out of respect for the coach and his family everyone within the organization has remained silent on the particulars.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Montgomery’s after-hours behavior and relationship with alcohol had been a point of concern during his first and only season with the franchise. Montgomery’s admission was not a new development with the franchise.
Sources said Montgomery’s relationship with alcohol was an issue and a contributing factor in the decision to remove him as coach.
Sources said Stars general manager Jim Nill had previously implored his hand-picked coach to change the behavior, and to stop with the excessive public episodes of drinking. The club tried to work with Montgomery on this, and to give him time and space to alter the behavior.
During the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, Montgomery was known to frequent the popular bar Moxies, which is owned by Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi. The bar is attached to the high-end hotel, The Crescent, which is close to the American Airlines Center.
Now, a coach tossing back a few beers is not exactly a new phenomenon in the NHL. The league, and the sport, have a long history of players and coaches partaking in a few drinks. And “a few beers” in the NHL is measured by cases, not cans.
The problem was more of visibility; the head coach of the Dallas Stars was out frequently, drinking a bit too much, often in the bar owned by the same man who signed his checks.
It was a bad enough look that the GM had to talk to his head coach about it, and essentially issue a warning. The club was aware that Montgomery had struggled with this before.
In 2008, he was arrested for DUI while in Florida, when he was an assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
The Stars were aware of this arrest when they hired him in May of 2018 from the University of Denver.
In his statement, Montgomery, 50, said, “I let the team’s front office, staff and players down. More importantly, I let my wife and my family down. The team’s decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help.”
Since Nill announced Montgomery’s firing, the team has played well under interim coach Rick Bowness.
The club has won seven of 11 games under Bowness, including the highly successful Winter Classic played before more than 85,000 at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day.
The Stars are currently 24-14-4, and in third place in the NHL’s Central Division.
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
