Bigger Hot Seat Jim Montgomery or Mike Sullivan

Who Gets Fired First: Jim Montgomery or Mike Sullivan

Dennis Bernstein of the Fourth Period joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked who was on the bigger hot seat Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh or Jim Montgomery in Boston.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions

Host: “So I asked you, Dennis, whose seat is hotter? Is it Jim Montgomery, or is it Mike Sullivan, who we’re going to see when the Canadiens take on the
Penguins?”

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Dennis Bernstein: “That’s a tough one. I think that the connection between Crosby and Sullivan might help keep them there, right? And I think when you look at the goaltending, you look what Jarry did. I think now Sullivan isn’t Dubas guy, so if he wants to do it, he can do it. I just, I wouldn’t put that on the coach. I put it more on the coach in Boston, because I think that roster is better.

I think it’s basically three Hall of Famers and a not very good team, right? And a goaltender that you should probably shouldn’t have signed, that nobody thought would return to Pittsburgh. That you gave the contract in Jarry, and now he’s doing conditioning stints or whatever. I would not put this on the coach, and that coach has won before, and so I wouldn’t do it, because I just looked at that roster, and I never look I didn’t think they were a playoff team.

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They’re proving it right now. Some nights they play really good they have puck possession. They won a game in overtime where they dominated puck position against Anaheim. I’ll put it less on Sullivan than on Montgomery at this point in time, but you got to also win games.

But I just think that when I look at that roster, the Pittsburgh Penguins roster. Maybe they’re not this bad, where the minus (now 12) goal differential and they’re in (now .423 points percentage, but they’re not a playoff team either.”