Captain Montgomery & The Dallas Debut [VIDEO]

26 years after he captained UMaine hockey to its greatest season ever, Jim Montgomery begins his new role of captain of the Dallas Stars NHL franchise tonight.

Monty debuts as head coach of a franchise that is starving for postseason success.

It seems Jim Montgomery and success are synonymous.

From the 42-1-2 Black Bears, to a pro career as a player, to junior hockey titles as coach, to NCAA championships as University of Denver coach, Montgomery is now being asked to make hockey magic in a place where football is king.

Montgomery and his Stars host Arizona in their NHL opener tonight.

He will have a couple of former Black Bears in a Dallas uniform. Ben Bishop is his starting goalie and forward Devin Shore signed a new contract in the off season to stay in town.

Montgomery also gets to coach Tyler Seguin, the former #1 pick of the Boston Bruins who has developed into one of the best goal scorers in the game. Seguin also plays with a new 8-year, $79-million-dollar contract.

NOTE: Montgomery joins John Tortorella (Columbus Blue Jackets) as former UMaine Black Bears in NHL head coach roles. Former UMaine defenseman Jack Capuano (former NY Islanders head coach) begins his second season as associate head coach of the Florida Panthers.