St. Louis Blues fire coach Drew Bannister, hire Jim Montgomery

Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The St. Louis Blues fired coach Drew Bannister and hired Jim Montgomery as his replacement, the NHL franchise announced Sunday.

Bannister, 50, led the Blues to a 9-12-1 mark through 22 games this season. The Blues went 30-19-5 in 2023, Bannister's first season.

Montgomery, who was fired Tuesday by the Boston Bruins, signed a five-year contract to become Blues coach. He led the Bruins to an 8-9-3 mark through 20 games this season.

The Bruins went 65-12-5 in 2022-23, Montgomery's first season, setting NHL records for wins and points in a regular season. He was honored with Coach of the Year accolades for that campaign, which ended with a first-round playoff exit.

The Bruins went 47-20-15 in 2023-24 before losing in the second round of the playoffs.

Montgomery, 55 also coached the Dallas Stars for two seasons, leading that franchise to a 60-43-10 mark between 2018 and 2019.

The Blues will battle the New York Rangers (12-6-1) at 7 p.m. EST Monday in New York.