The St. Louis Blues have just fired their head coach Drew Bannister and hired former Boston Bruins coach and Jack Adams Award winner Jim Montgomery. It came in the form of a stunning move announced by Blues President and General Manager Doug Armstrong on Sunday, a big change coming to the organization. Armstrong is expected to speak with the media in a video call later in the afternoon and announce that Jim <a href='https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/42581404/blues-fire-drew-bannister-hire-jim-montgomery-coach' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Montgomery will join the team in New York on Monday as the new head coach</a> after the firing of Drew Bannister. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1860687011608175084'> </a></blockquote></div> Bannister, who took over in St. Louis less than a year ago after replacing 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube, had his interim title lifted following last season. However, the Blues have struggled this year, losing 13 of their first 22 games. Montgomery spent two seasons previously as an assistant under Berube in St Louis, bookending his head coaching stops in Dallas and Boston. <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/boston-bruins/bruins-jim-montgomery-has-a-complete-meltdown-on-bench-does-today-canceled-practice-mean-he-fired' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The Bruins let him go early in the season</a> after starting with 12 losses in their first 20 games. With the Blues inking Montgomery to a five-year deal, it signals that they're all-in on him for the long haul. Armstrong's decision to pivot so quickly from Bannister to Montgomery suggests a determination to keep the St. Louis team in contention for a championship. Armstrong had already been aggressive early in the offseason, signing restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers through offer sheets, and reshaping the roster with additional acquisitions. In acquiring Montgomery, the Blues are banking on a known leader. The 55-year-old has an outstanding 180-84-33 regular-season coaching record, with a .659 points percentage amongst the best all-time league-wide.