ST.
LOUIS – Jim Montgomery knows David Carle has a focus on the
greatest challenge for a college coach this weekend in St. Louis when
the 2025 Frozen Four takes place at Enterprise Center
Thursday-Saturday.
But
the St. Louis Blues coach, who is part of the coaching alumni at the
University of Denver, winning a national championship there in 2017
before handing the reigns over to Carle, his assistant at the time,
feels the protege knows his once-pupil will in Carle, going for his
third national championship in four years and defending champions,
will soon enough be coaching in the NHL.
“I
would think it’s a matter of time, yeah,” Montgomery said of
Carle. “How soon? That’ll be his choice.”
The
Pioneers (31-11-1) are in the Frozen Four defending their title,
after winning 2-0 against Boston College last year, and will face
Western Michigan (32-7-1) at 4 p.m. on ESPN2; Boston University
(23-13-2) and Penn State (21-13-4) play in the second semifinal at
7:30 p.m. with the winners facing off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. to crown
this year’s champion.
And
while the Blues are in Canada before jetting to Seattle to
play out the final three games of their road regular-season schedule,
Montgomery will be pulling for the Pioneers from far away, and
cheering for the 35-year-old Carle.
“I’m
incredibly proud to have been a part of that,” Montgomery said.
“David and I worked together for five years. I saw how good he was
going to be, and that’s why I was so happy when he got the job. Our
friendship continues. What his record is and what he has done, it’s
simply remarkable. It’s the best run of any college coach in, what
is it, I think he’s been there eight years now, four Frozen Four’s
and this would be a third national championship in four years. As a
backer of the program, I’m very proud.
“I’m
very proud of the University of Maine, my alma mater, which I helped
Ben Barr get that position. He’s doing an incredible job there. Two
programs I’ve been associated with and both in the best eight
programs in the country in the same year, I’m glad of my roots. I’m
very proud that I was able to be part of something at both.”
Carle,
in his seventh season after being an assistant for five seasons, is
180-73-17 and feels he owes a lot of his success to Montgomery.
“Yeah,
I mean, a lot,” he said Thursday at the pre-semifinal press
conference. “First, great hire by (Blues general manager) Doug
Armstrong to not let him be on the market very long. Happy for
‘Monty’ that they’re in the playoff position now and the heater
they’ve been on over the last five weeks. Happy for him and his
family. His
wife is from here. A lot of connections here for him. Big fan. We
still keep in close contact.
“I
learned a lot from him, from preparation, tactics, trying to connect
the group, make sure everybody feels valued, team-first attitude. A
lot of different things from him that I think make him so successful
wherever he’s been as well.”
Carle
said he will always be grateful to Montgomery for hiring someone
laying his grass roots down, and that the two stay connected and
always will.
“When
‘Monty’ hired me, I was single. He had two kids. He added two
kids while we were together,” Carle
said.
“He
saw me meet my wife. He saw us have three kids now. Our lives have
grown, as our relationship has grown as well.
“There’s
a lot of friendship there, just connecting over our families and
checking in on each other. Obviously he’s been through some different
things since he left DU, and I’ve leaned on him multiple times for
advice as well.
“It’s
a great friendship. He makes it out to Denver, obviously, to play the
Avs. We always try to get together with a few other friends, and he’s
a great man, and couldn’t be happier for him to be in St. Louis doing
well.”
ST.
LOUIS – Jim Montgomery knows David Carle has a focus on the
greatest challenge for a college coach this weekend in St. Louis when
the 2025 Frozen Four takes place at Enterprise Center
Thursday-Saturday.
But
the St. Louis Blues coach, who is part of the coaching alumni at the
University of Denver, winning a national championship there in 2017
before handing the reigns over to Carle, his assistant at the time,
feels the protege knows his once-pupil will in Carle, going for his
third national championship in four years and defending champions,
will soon enough be coaching in the NHL.
“I
would think it’s a matter of time, yeah,” Montgomery said of
Carle. “How soon? That’ll be his choice.”
The
Pioneers (31-11-1) are in the Frozen Four defending their title,
after winning 2-0 against Boston College last year, and will face
Western Michigan (32-7-1) at 4 p.m. on ESPN2; Boston University
(23-13-2) and Penn State (21-13-4) play in the second semifinal at
7:30 p.m. with the winners facing off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. to crown
this year’s champion.
And
while the Blues are in Canada before jetting to Seattle to
play out the final three games of their road regular-season schedule,
Montgomery will be pulling for the Pioneers from far away, and
cheering for the 35-year-old Carle.
“I’m
incredibly proud to have been a part of that,” Montgomery said.
“David and I worked together for five years. I saw how good he was
going to be, and that’s why I was so happy when he got the job. Our
friendship continues. What his record is and what he has done, it’s
simply remarkable. It’s the best run of any college coach in, what
is it, I think he’s been there eight years now, four Frozen Four’s
and this would be a third national championship in four years. As a
backer of the program, I’m very proud.
“I’m
very proud of the University of Maine, my alma mater, which I helped
Ben Barr get that position. He’s doing an incredible job there. Two
programs I’ve been associated with and both in the best eight
programs in the country in the same year, I’m glad of my roots. I’m
very proud that I was able to be part of something at both.”
Carle,
in his seventh season after being an assistant for five seasons, is
180-73-17 and feels he owes a lot of his success to Montgomery.
“Yeah,
I mean, a lot,” he said Thursday at the pre-semifinal press
conference. “First, great hire by (Blues general manager) Doug
Armstrong to not let him be on the market very long. Happy for
‘Monty’ that they’re in the playoff position now and the heater
they’ve been on over the last five weeks. Happy for him and his
family. His
wife is from here. A lot of connections here for him. Big fan. We
still keep in close contact.
“I
learned a lot from him, from preparation, tactics, trying to connect
the group, make sure everybody feels valued, team-first attitude. A
lot of different things from him that I think make him so successful
wherever he’s been as well.”
Carle
said he will always be grateful to Montgomery for hiring someone
laying his grass roots down, and that the two stay connected and
always will.
“When
‘Monty’ hired me, I was single. He had two kids. He added two
kids while we were together,” Carle
said.
“He
saw me meet my wife. He saw us have three kids now. Our lives have
grown, as our relationship has grown as well.
“There’s
a lot of friendship there, just connecting over our families and
checking in on each other. Obviously he’s been through some different
things since he left DU, and I’ve leaned on him multiple times for
advice as well.
“It’s
a great friendship. He makes it out to Denver, obviously, to play the
Avs. We always try to get together with a few other friends, and he’s
a great man, and couldn’t be happier for him to be in St. Louis doing
well.”
