Blues head coach Jim Montgomery will temporarily take over role of unit currently 25th in the NHL with associate coach taking AHL head coaching duties in Springfield
With St. Louis Blues associate coach Steve Ott now assuming the role of head coach with Springfield of the American Hockey League as of Monday morning after the organization fired Steve Konowalchuk, there is a hole in Ott's role as coach of the Blues' power play.
Who will not assume that role?
The answer? Blues coach Jim Montgomery ... at least for the time being, will take over for a unit that is 25th in the league at 16.3 percent coming into Monday and has been in the bottom third of the league for four straight years running now.
That's what Montgomery said on Monday from Edmonton after the Blues' practice following a 5-0 loss to the Oilers on Sunday.
"I'm going to have to take over the power play initially, probably until (the Winter Olympics) break for sure," Montgomery told media members. "And the what it does is, it means our communication levels, when you have a smaller staff, they increase. You have to make sure you're dialing in about everything because everybody has to do a bit more, which is good."
Ott, 42, will now serve in a capacity for the first time in his career in his ninth year in the Blues organization, and it will give him the chance to strengthen his resume in a head coaching capacity should be want to assume that role elsewhere while building Blues prospects in the meantime.
"For Steve Ott, he's an extremely talented coach," Montgomery said. "Players love him, staff loves him. You have to have head head coaching experience to get a head coaching job in the NHL. it helps, and this is the opportunity he's going to get. Go down to Springfield and work in the second best league in the world.
"I told him he's going to be a great head coach. He's got all the qualities, he's got all the confidence in the world, and he's going to love it. Every day, you make the final decision. He's an alpha type, and he's going to love it. He's going to go down there, I know he's going to do a great job. He's going to really help develop our prospects and for himself and his personal growth these next three months is going to be extreme for him in an extremely positive way."
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