St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong called Montgomery soon after he was fired by the Boston Bruins on Nov. 19, laid out a plan, told the coach why he had to be a part of it, offered a five-year contract and that was pretty much that.

As new Blues coach Jim Montgomery appeared before reporters Monday at Madison Square Garden sporting a dark blue sweatshirt emblazoned with the team’s famed blue note logo, there was no hesitation about his emotions.