After winning the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year, Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery detailed his overcoming alcohol addiction in a powerful acceptance speech.
“Three and a half years ago, the Dallas Stars terminated my contract because of my struggles with alcohol,” Montgomery, 53, said during his speech at the NHL Awards on Monday night in Nashville, Tennessee. “I had to change my actions and behaviors. That’s when my new team, the most important team in my life, is what leads to the success that I live daily right now.
“For those who struggle out there, you can change. You can effect change within yourself. It doesn’t happen alone. You need a team. You need a community. And I’m lucky for friends … for people who have helped me overcome this, daily. I cannot do it without my family.”
Watch Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery’s Jack Adams Award acceptance speech
How did Jim Montgomery win the Jack Adams Award?
Montgomery garnered 79 of 82 first-place votes and received the second-place votes on three other ballots. He was in his first season with Boston, which set NHL records for victories (65) and points (135), and tied the mark for road victories (31) in a single season. Boston finished with a 65-12-5 record and was just the fourth team in the modern era to lead their respective division wire-to-wire.
The Bruins raced out to a 3-1 series lead over the eight-seeded Florida Panthers in the first round of the NHL playoffs before losing three games in a row to flame out of the postseason.
This marks the fifth Jack Adams for the Bruins, who set a record for most of any NHL franchise.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jim Montgomery reflects on alcohol struggles in speech at NHL Awards
