Marco Sturm hired as new head coach of Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins have hired Marco Sturm to be the team's next head coach, general manager Don Sweeney announced Thursday morning.
Sturm, who played five seasons in Boston during his NHL career, will formally be introduced by the Bruins at a press conference next week. Boston was the last team to fill its head-coaching vacancy this offseason.
Sturm will be the 30th head coach in Bruins history. He takes over a team that went 33-39-10 under Jim Montgomery and Joe Sacco last season, and missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
"Throughout this process, our goal was to identify a coach who could uphold our strong defensive foundation while helping us evolve offensively," Sweeney said in Thursday's release. "We were also looking for a communicator and leader – someone who connects with players, develops young talent, and earns the respect of the room. Marco impressed us at every step with his preparation, clarity, and passion. His path – playing for multiple NHL teams, coaching internationally, and leading at both the AHL and NHL levels – has shaped a well-rounded coach who's earned this opportunity.
"As a former Bruin, he understands what this team means to the city and our fans," Sweeney continued. "We're embracing a new direction with Marco behind the bench and are confident his energy, standards, and commitment to a competitive, hard-nosed brand of hockey reflect exactly what Bruins hockey should be."
Who is Marco Sturm?
Bruins fans are familiar with Sturm from his playing days, when he spent five of his 14 NHL seasons in Boston. He arrived in the blockbuster Joe Thornton trade in 2005, and had 106 goals and 87 assists over 305 games for the Bruins. His biggest goal for Boston was a game-winner in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, lifting the Bruins to a 2-1 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Marco Sturm at the TD Garden on March 2, 2010 in Boston.
Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images
Sturm played for the San Jose Sharks, the Bruins, the Florida Panthers, the Washington Capitals, the L.A. Kings, and the Vancouver Canucks during his career, and finished with 242 goals and 245 assists over 938 games.
While he has no head-coaching experience at the NHL level, the 46-year-old Sturm has been coaching since 2015. He spent three years as the head coach of Germany's Olympic team, which included a silver medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics and trips to the quarterfinals in the Worlds. He was back in the NHL as an assistant for the Kings from 2018-22, before he was promoted to head coach of L.A.'s AHL affiliate.
Sturm has spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Ontario Reign, where he's compiled a 119-80-11-6 record and made three consecutive playoff appearances.
Now he's tasked with turning around the Boston Bruins as he navigates the waters as an NHL head coach for the first time.
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Maurice did this in the second period of Eastern Conference Final Game 5, when the Panthers trailed Carolina 2-0. The Panthers stormed back to clinch the series with a 5-3 win, Verhaeghe getting the game winner off a dazzling Barkov stickhandle-and-dish play. Getting back on the cycle A chart by NHL Network from stats by Sportlogiq said the Panthers ground out an 11-4 advantage in scoring chances off the offensive zone cycle in Game 1, 6-3 in slot shots and 5-2 in forechecking chances. That begat the Panthers first goal, Carter Verhaeghe's shot bouncing in off Sam Bennett as the center sprawled in the crease, as well as solid control of the second period and first minutes of overtime. Series schedule ▪ Game 1 — Oilers 4, Panthers 3 (overtime): The Panthers had a two-goal lead early in the second period but couldn't hold on as Edmonton tied the game early in the third and won it on a Leon Draisaitl power-play goal with 31 seconds left in overtime. Advertisement ▪ Game 2: Tonight ▪ Game 3: Monday, June 9, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 4: Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place ▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 20, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place Pregame reading Need to catch up ahead of Game 2? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald's coverage over the past few days. ▪ With margin for error thin in Cup Final, Panthers need to regroup after Game 1 overtime loss Advertisement ▪ With two goals in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final, Sam Bennett makes Panthers history ▪ Maurice's message to Nosek after game-deciding penalty in Florida's Game 1 Cup Final loss ▪ Will Panthers make lineup changes for Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final? ▪ Joining the Florida Panthers 'revitalized' Seth Jones. The next goal: Win a Stanley Cup
