USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints

Montgomery Named Head Coach at University of Denver

Published on April 15, 2013 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


DUBUQUE, Iowa-Dubuque Fighting Saints Head Coach and General Manager Jim Montgomery is heading west and advancing to college hockey, the University of Denver announced today. Montgomery was introduced at a press conference today as the new Head Coach of the University of Denver, joining one of the nation's top college hockey programs that has appeared in the national tournament 23 times and won seven national championships. Following today's announcement, Montgomery will return to Dubuque and will remain with the Fighting Saints for the 2013 Clark Cup Playoffs, which begin Wednesday night.

"I'm really excited for the opportunity to be the eighth Head Coach at the University of Denver," said Montgomery. "It's an unbelievable school and program, and I am excited to help the student athletes achieve great things. Having said that, I look forward to winning another championship and bringing the Clark Cup to Dubuque here in the next six weeks prior to moving to Denver."

Montgomery has been behind the Fighting Saints bench since the team's return to the United States Hockey League in 2010. In three seasons under Montgomery's guidance, the Fighting Saints have achieved a 118-45-21 record and have qualified for the playoffs each year. In Dubuque's first season since returning to the league, Montgomery led the Fighting Saints to the 2011 Clark Cup Championship and earned the USHL's General Manager of the Year. This season, Montgomery propelled Dubuque to a 45-11-8 finish, earning the Fighting Saints the Anderson Cup, awarded to the USHL's regular season champion, for the first time in 30 years. Montgomery was also named to the coaching staff at the 2013 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Muskegon, Michigan this past January.

"I want to thank the Fighting Saints ownership group for giving me an opportunity to build things and run it the right way here in Dubuque," said Montgomery. "Phil Falcone, Mark Falcone, Brad Kwong, Dr. David Field, Mark Falb, and Peter Chiarelli gave me the opportunity to be a first-time head coach and gave me the tools to have incredible success with this great organization. Most of all, I want to thank the Dubuque Fighting Saints players over the last three years. Without those players committing to playing Fighting Saint hockey, I wouldn't be in this position. I owe a debt of gratitude to those men who wear the red and white."

Five players have been selected in the NHL Draft after playing under Montgomery in Dubuque, and six players with ties to Dubuque were selected in the 2012 NHL Draft, including first round picks Zemgus Girgensons, now with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, and Mike Matheson of Boston College. Bobby Kinsella, who worked on Montgomery's staff as an Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting for two seasons, has also advanced to the NHL and currently serves as a scout with the Montreal Canadiens. Additionally, under Montgomery, 22 players from the 2010-11 Fighting Saints team are now playing Division-I college hockey including 2013 Hobey Baker Award finalist Johnny Gaudreau from Boston College. This season 17 of the 23 players on Dubuque's roster have accepted NCAA D-I scholarships including Dylan Gambrell, who is committed to Denver.

"On behalf of Northern Lights Hockey, I would like to thank Jim Montgomery for all that he has done in the three years he has been with the Fighting Saints," said Brad Kwong, Managing Partner of Northern Lights Hockey, LLC. "Monty has exceeded all of our expectations from when we hired him and through his hard work, talent and fine character, he and his staff have raised the Dubuque Fighting Saints to national prominence and have established the Saints as one of the premier junior hockey organizations in North America. While it is difficult to lose a leader like Monty, we understand that one of our roles is to help graduate talent, from our players to our business staff and to our coaches. Of course there is some unfinished business for Monty to take care of but above all, we wish him and his wonderful family- Emily, JP and Colin the very best on their next adventure and we want them to know that they will forever be a part of the Dubuque Fighting Saints' family."

Montgomery returns to college hockey where he is strongly rooted. As a player, Montgomery is the NCAA's fourth all-time leading scorer with 301 points in four seasons at the University of Maine. Montgomery led the Black Bears to the 1993 NCAA National Championship and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist. Following a playing career where Montgomery spent parts of six seasons in the NHL, the Montreal native returned to college hockey, serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Notre Dame, and becoming an assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006.

Montgomery and Denver will join the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference this upcoming season. Montgomery takes over for long-time Head Coach George Gwozdecky who was let go on April 1. The Pioneers made the NCAA Tournament in 2013, and their most recent national titles came in 2004 and 2005.

"It's bittersweet," said Montgomery. There is excitement because I am going to such a prestigious university and will be living in a great city like Denver, but we have achieved great things here with the Fighting Saints organization. This is because of the great fans and the community of Dubuque that has embraced us with open arms. I know my family is going to have a lot tearful goodbyes when the day comes that we have to leave, but for now, there is more work to be done in Dubuque."

Montgomery and the Fighting Saints open the 2013 Clark Cup Playoffs by hosting Game 1 of a best-of-five series with the fourth-seeded Muskegon Lumberjacks on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at the Mystique Community Ice Center. The first 1,500 fans receive Rally Towels Courtesy of the Riverview Center. Game 2 is Friday in Dubuque at 7:35 p.m. and the first 1,000 fans get a Playoff T-Shirt courtesy of Dubuque Fire Equipment. Tickets are on sale now for all home playoff games at DubuqueFightingSaints.com and by calling 563.583.6880.

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