Ask any sports fan about the business. It can be cruel. In the Boston Bruins case, a good man lost his job due to their poor start. On Tuesday, Jim Montgomery was relieved of head coaching duties by general manager Don Sweeney. He was replaced by assistant coach Joe Sacco.

It wasn’t that long ago that under Montgomery, the Bruins set an NHL record by winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022-23 with the most wins (65) and points (135) in a regular season. That team was upset by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the postseason. They fell in a crushing seven-game series, which included losing the deciding game in overtime.

Last season, they went 47-20-15 to again win the Atlantic Division. After eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, they were ousted in six games by the Panthers in the second round. The Panthers went on to win the Stanley Cup.

As disappointing as it was, Montgomery did a great job. The Bruins lost former captain Patrice Bergeron and to retirement. David Krejci also retired from the NHL to return home. He still found a way to create enough offense with centers Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha. Both set career highs in points. David Pastrnak followed up a 61-goal, 113-point season with 47 goals and 110 points. Brad Marchand took over as captain – posting 29 goals and 38 assists. Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie became key cogs. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark continued to form the NHL’s best goalie duo.

They all bought in. Unfortunately, the Bruins weren’t as good as the Panthers. A championship team that was deeper. It wasn’t surprising that they lost. It still took some great goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky to lead the Panthers to a hard fought second round victory.

After losing Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk to free agency, the Bruins moved on from Ullmark by trading him to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first round pick. They signed veteran defenseman Nikita Zadorov to a six-year contract worth $30 million. They also spent big on center Elias Lindholm, giving him a hefty seven-year deal worth a $7.75 cap hit. They overpaid a good player who’ll turn 30 on Dec. 2. Yikes.

Through 20 games, the results haven’t been up to par. Following a 5-1 blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 18, practice was cancelled. It was an indication that Montgomery had coached his last game for the Bruins. They were 8-9-3 when Sweeney made the decision to name Sacco interim coach.

It didn’t help that Swayman held out for a new contract, missing all of training camp. Team President Cam Neely went public with the negotiations, which created a firestorm. It was an unnecessary distraction. Eventually, they anted up by paying Swayman an $8.25 million cap hit through 2032. What was the point of waiting so long to get their starter signed? They downgraded by acquiring Korpisalo. Somewhat predictably, Swayman has underperformed. In 14 starts, he’s 5-7-2 with a 3.47 goals-against-average and .884 save percentage. Nobody has allowed more goals (47) than him this season.

So far, the Bruins rank 27th in goals against and 28th in offense. Aside from Pastrnak and Marchand, none of the top three centers have come close to expectations. Coyle has four goals and is a minus-10. Zacha has three goals and four assists. Lindholm has two goals and seven assists. John Beecher, Colin Koepke, Justin Brazeau, and Kastelic have performed well in secondary roles.

Even top defenseman Charlie McAvoy hasn’t played his best hockey. With key defenseman Hampus Lindholm on the injured reserve, the blue line is thin. They’re relying heavily on McAvoy, Zadorov, and Brandon Carlo.

With 19 points, the Bruins sit only two points behind the Buffalo Sabres for the second wildcard. The Eastern Conference isn’t strong. Especially in the mediocre Atlantic Division. If the Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs are locks, nobody else is guaranteed to make the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Lightning have been alright so far. They’re third in the Atlantic. They do miss Steven Stamkos on the power play. But Anthony Cirelli has stepped up. Stamkos isn’t exactly lighting it up in Nashville.

If the Washington Capitals are for real, they’ll have to prove it without Alex Ovechkin. He was off to a torrid start with 15 goals before sustaining a leg injury in an incidental collision with Jack McBain on Nov. 18. He’s week-to-week. The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers will once again be playing hockey next spring. The improved New Jersey Devils look like they belong. The Capitals look like a better team than last year.

The Bruins should be able to compete for a playoff spot with bubble teams. That includes the Lightning, Capitals, Sabres, Flyers, and either the Senators or Red Wings. Detroit remains underwhelming. Ottawa has a better roster. But they remain a question mark.

It still is ridiculous how they mishandled a good man in Montgomery. Nobody had a better record than Montgomery since taking over behind the Boston bench in 2022-23. In 184 games, the Bruins lost only 41 times in regulation. He went 120-41-23. Despite winning the Jack Adams and having a remarkable record, he lost his job due to a bad start in Year 3.

It’s mystifying. Montgomery always handled himself with class. When his team was upset by the Panthers, he answered every question following the crushing Game 7 defeat. He was accountable. He’s a good man. It won’t be long before he lands on his feet. Considering how mediocre the league is, there are a few possible spots he could land.

Maybe the Bruins organization should look in the mirror and put the blame where it belongs.

The arrogance is unbelievable. Sweeney is responsible for the roster. Neely is an egomaniac. If the Bruins fail to qualify for the postseason, it would serve as a lesson. They couldn’t wait to get rid of Montgomery. A well-respected coach who the players loved.

“Very disappointing day. Also very frustrating. This is a reflection of our play. It was avoidable. I think that’s the tough part about this. If we would have done our job in here, he’d still be around. We feel terrible as a group. Individually, that we let a really good coach and a really good person down. And not just the affect it has on him. But on his family,” Marchand told reporters.

“We haven’t played to the standard that we need to. The standard that we’ve come to expect. That the management expects. That the fans expect and deserve. When you don’t play to expectations and to the level that we’re capable of doing, it’s not the expectation you want to reach. We haven’t played to our abilities. Things like this happen. Unfortunately, people have to take the fall. That’s what happened.”

Sacco takes over for Montgomery. It’ll be his second opportunity behind the bench. He’ll try to do better than he did when he coached the Colorado Avalanche. They only made the postseason once in four seasons (2009-10 thru 2012-13). He has a career record of 130-134-30.