Return to DU gives Montgomery chance to reflect, look ahead

DENVER -- Jim Montgomery was in his element Monday.
The former University of Denver hockey coach was back at his old school, but running a practice with his new NHL team. It was a mixing of old and new, and a chance for Montgomery to step back and embrace some fond memories.
"It's always good when you've lived in a place and have had great memories," he said. "You've won championships, and as a family, we've had babies here, and great, great friends."

It was just last season that Montgomery was taking his roster through their drills, so seeing the Pioneers on the practice ice again was fun. The NCAA championship banner from 2017 hung above, and almost all of the roster comprised of players that Montgomery recruited and brought to Denver was practicing at the same time.
That allowed him to remember a few things that could help him in the process of building his NHL team chemistry.

"It allows you to reflect and know that it does work and you just have to be patient with it," Montgomery said. "We practiced well today, so we're starting to get the consistent habits of practice, and it translates to games. And the video work is starting to pay off, because we're seeing better execution in games."
The Stars are 12-10-2 after 24 games, and headed into a big back-to-back at Edmonton on Tuesday and at Calgary on Wednesday. That's the challenge of the NHL. Where he had three or four practices in college to prepare for maybe two games on the weekend, he now has to navigate playing almost every other day, with some crazy travel and a changing roster.
"The time you have to prepare is the biggest difference," Montgomery said. "It's a new schedule and you're busy all of the time. I'm not used to getting in at 2:30 in the morning like we do on flights, and you have to balance that. And it's hard to balance that when you have four kids waking up having breakfast and you haven't seen them in five days."
Montgomery's family is a big part of his experience wherever he is. He said last week one of the reasons he chose a job with the Stars over a job with the New York Rangers was because Dallas was a better fit for his wife and kids. And it was clear returning to Denver that family feeling extended to the college campus.
"It's a beautiful barn, and the cool thing about a college hockey rinks is not one is the same, they're all very unique and have a ton of character," said Stars forward Devin Shore, who played at the University of Maine and said he loved going back to school Monday.

"There's something special about a university campus, because it has the academic side and the athletic side. It's a really fun age, it's some of the best times of your life."
Shore said he realizes the significance of changes that Montgomery is going through in his new job, though, because he has had to adapt the same way. College teams play less than 40 games a year, while NHL teams play 82. Plus, the pace and expectations are much more intense when you consider the shuffling roster and demand for victories.
"There's a ton of difference between college hockey and pro, with the rules, and you have to recruit. You can't call guys up or trade. You recruit and that's your team," Shore said. "Monty's job was to win games, but he's also responsible for 28 kids who are in school, so you've got to make sure you're on top of your classes and getting to the next level. I'm sure it's very nostalgic being back."
It's also educational. Montgomery's teams got better every year at DU, going another round in the playoffs each season before winning it all in his fourth season. He said that reviewing that process is a good thing for him right now as he sees the improvement in the Stars.
"With the number of games we play (in the NHL), it naturally speeds up," he said. "But it hasn't really sped up much from my first year at Denver. We were a very inconsistent team until after the New Year. Hopefully, we can get there right now, I'm starting to see us be a little bit more consistent."

Montgomery understands the difference between the two situations, and said he knows the challenges that await. His players, too, said they liked looking back a little so they can look forward now.
"I'm sure he's going through a lot of emotions, and we wanted to have a good practice for him," said center Tyler Seguin.
The Stars on Tuesday will play against Ken Hitchcock, their coach from last season who has now moved on to coach the Edmonton Oilers. While Montgomery was able to reflect back on Monday, the players will get to look back Tuesday. It's a strange sort of time warp for all, with the overriding sentiment that you need to win hockey games no matter where you are or who you're playing for.
"It's a fine line," Seguin said when asked about the balance of being patient with Montgomery and demanding results. "This is our third coach in three years, so we've had a win-now roster for a little bit here. And as much as we know it's going to take time, we're also trying to push it.
"I'm 27 in two months, and things are going by quick. We understand it's a process, but we also want results as well."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika,and listen to his podcast.