Jim Montgomery, Boston Bruins Pay Tribute to Lewiston Shooting Victims

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery played four years at the University of Maine and paid tribute to Lewiston ahead of his team's 4-3 loss against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

The Boston Bruins had more than the game on their minds ahead of Thursday’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks at TD Garden.

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Lewiston, Maine Wednesday night, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery and his team extended their condolences and support to those affected by the violence.

“I want to start by recognizing the horrific and tragic event that happened in Lewiston, Maine yesterday,” Montgomery said Thursday morning. “The Boston Bruins offer our sympathy and condolences to the victims and families that suffered.”

Montgomery has a direct connection to the state, playing for the University of Maine Black Bears from 1989-93 and captaining the squad to a national championship in his final season – one of two national titles the program has won.

“I personally spent four wonderful years at the University of Maine, and I know how great the culture is in that state, I know how great the people are,” Montgomery said. “My heartfelt sympathies to everybody that’s affected.”

The Boston Bruins Foundation announced a special benefit fund Thursday for the families of the victims, and also pledged a minimum $100,000 to the cause. Players from both Boston and Anaheim signed sticks for auctioning in honor of Lewiston, and the Bruins skated with Maine decals on their helmets.

Ahead puck drop against the Ducks, the B’s had a “Lewiston Strong” home jersey hanging behind the bench with No. 207 – Maine’s area code – stitched as the number on the back.

Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who also played at the University of Maine from 2018-2020, hung the sweater on the glass for warmups, and TD Garden held a moment of silence for the victims before the national anthem.

While the Bruins were unable to put away the Ducks, letting up a two-goal lead late in the third period and ultimately falling 4-3 in overtime, the events in Lewiston were a stark reminder that in this moment, hockey is just hockey.

“It’s unfair. We’re complaining [about] this club losing a hockey game while people up there lost lives, lost loved ones,” Linus Ullmark said postgame after logging 28 saves in his fourth start of the season. “So it puts you in perspective as well. It’s pretty easy to let this one go.”

Dealt their first loss of the 2023-24 campaign after getting off to a 6-0-0 start, the Bruins will look to learn from their late-game collapse and get back to playing responsible hockey for a full 60 minutes on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings.

“It’s tough to win in this league, you’re never out of it, and we have to learn from it, that’s all you can do,” Charlie Coyle, who scored his first goal of the season on Thursday, said. “There’s nothing we can do about it now and it’s a shame that that happened, but we learn from it, we move on, come to work tomorrow, practice ready to go and we right the ship the next day.”