Jim Montgomery is getting a second chance to coach in the NHL after being hired by the St. Louis Blues as an assistant coach less than a year since he was fired by the Dallas Stars for unprofessional conduct.

Montgomery was fired in December, 32 games into his second season as Stars coach, for what general manager Jim Nill said was behavior inconsistent with "core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League." The 51-year-old on Wednesday said he has been sober for over nine months now.