The Boston Bruins have fired coach Jim Montgomery after stumbling to a losing record in their first 20 games, the team announced on Tuesday.
Associate coach Joe Sacco was elevated to interim head coach. The Bruins are off to an 8-9-3 start (.475 points percentage) and are currently outside of a playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
General manager Don Sweeney called it "a difficult decision" to fire Montgomery.
"Jim Montgomery is a very good NHL coach and an even better person. He has made a positive impact throughout the Bruins organization, and I am both grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to work with him and learn from him," said Sweeney in a statement.