Just 20 games into his third season as Boston’s head coach, Jim Montgomery was fired by the Bruins on Tuesday, and we expect to learn more about the on-ice leadership change on Wednesday.

With the team having a difficult start to the season, something had to be done. But while some fans say this shakeup could fuel the B’s, others wonder if Montgomery was really to blame.

Montgomery, 55, was in the final year of his contract. General manager Don Sweeney said he is a very good NHL coach and an even better person, but the team’s inconsistency and performance through the first 20 games of the season is concerning: the Bruins have won just eight games.

The Bruins finished with more than 100 points in each of Montgomery’s first two seasons — including a record-setting debut, when their 65 wins and 135 points were both the most in NHL history. But the team lost in the first round of the play-offs that year and only advanced to the second round last season. Montgomery ends his Bruins career with 120 wins in 184 games – which is objectively great.

Fans who spoke to NBC10 Boston are divided on the issue.

“It’s not the coach’s fault,” said fan Tim Rennie. “It’s not the coach’s fault, it’s the players’ fault. Unfortunately, the General Manager will take it out on the coach.”

“We have the right players,” argued fan Sean Cullinan. “We have the right players on the ice, we just need a coach who has confidence in these players.”

“The team has a leadership problem. The coach isn’t going to fix it,” said Matt Greene, another fan.

“I think it will give the team a boost,” Josh Anderson said. “I would expect them to win the next game straight away.”

The team next plays against Utah on Thursday. Interim coach Joe Sacco, a native of Medford, Massachusetts and a Boston University alum, will be behind the bench. This is his eleventh season with the team; he most recently served as an associate coach.