Germany's Sturm named coach of NHL Bruins
The 46-year-old German will have his first NHL head coaching job. He replaces interim coach Joe Sacco, who took over after Jim Montgomery was fired in November.
"I'm incredibly honored to be named head coach of the Boston Bruins," Sturm said. "I'm excited to get to work and do everything I can to help this team succeed."
Sturm, who played in Boston from 2005-2010, was a coach for the top development team of the Los Angeles Kings the past three years after serving as a Kings assistant coach from 2018-22. He guided Germany's national team from 2015-18, a run that included a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
The Bruins went 33-39 with 10 overtime losses this past season to finish last in the Atlantic Division, ending a run of eight consecutive trips to the NHL playoffs.
"Our goal was to identify a coach who could uphold our strong defensive foundation while helping us evolve offensively," said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. "We were also looking for a communicator and leader, someone who connects with players, develops young talent, and earns the respect of the room."
Sturm, a three-time Olympian, scored 242 goals in 938 NHL games over 14 seasons with Boston, san Jose, Washington, Vancouver, Florida and the Kings.
He becomes the latest NHL coach to be hired looking ahead to next season, joining Boston a day after Pittsburgh hired Dan Muse.
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France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Tuchel slams England's lack of 'seriousness' in win over Andorra
Tuchel's side were booed at the final whistle in Barcelona after Harry Kane's 50th minute tap-in saved England from a humiliating draw with a team ranked 173rd in the world. Although England have won all three of their World Cup qualifiers since Tuchel took charge, they have struggled to fulfil the German's desire for a more attacking style of play. Their laboured efforts against Andorra infuriated Tuchel, who saw alarming signs that his players threw in the towel in the closing stages. "I didn't like the attitude how we ended the game," he said. "I liked the attitude how we started the game, the first 25 minutes, but I didn't like the last 25 minutes, the last half an hour. "I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier. "We played with fire and I didn't like the attitude in the end. I didn't like the body language and I think it was not what the occasion needed." England sit top of Group K as they progress towards next year's World Cup, yet they will need to improve signficantly to make an impact in the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Tuchel was relieved to secure the victory after Andorra pushed for a late leveller, but he conceded his team had played with a lack of energy. "In the end we played with fire, honestly. I felt it almost like in a cup game where the favourite does not smell the danger," he said. "I didn't feel a team that is aware it's only 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier because we were not happy with ourselves. "I'm not blaming them. I even feel like they felt 'OK, we're not happy and this is stuck today, it will not happen today'. "Step by step the energy dropped. We needed exactly the opposite but we couldn't deliver and so we got away with a win." 'The booing is ok' Tuchel had admitted before the game that it might be hard to crush Andorra by a huge margin because his players were tired after a draining domestic campaign. Nine of England's squad will jet off to the Club World Cup after Tuesday's friendly against Senegal in Nottingham. First, Tuchel will demand a more positive performance at the City Ground next week. "We will not stop to encourage them and make clear after we have a proper look at the match what we want from them," he said. England supporters made up the majority of the crowd at the RCDE Stadium and their displeasure was audible throughout a limp game that felt more like a pre-season friendly. Tuchel could not blame them for expressing their frustration, with jeers for the team mixed with abusive songs about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "The booing is OK." "They were underwhelmed and not happy with our performance, especially how we ended the first half, so I don't think we can blame them for that," he said. "We cannot even blame them how we ended the match. In the opposite. I thought they were fantastic throughout the whole match. "I did not hear anything about what you said about abusive songs or chants (about the Prime Minister), so if it happens of course it's not acceptable but I didn't hear it." © 2025 AFP
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Kane spares England's blushes in lacklustre win over Andorra
Thomas Tuchel's side were booed off by England fans in the RCDE Stadium after struggling to impress against a team ranked 173rd in the world. Kane's 72nd international goal ensured England avoided the ultimate embarrassment of failing to beat such lowly opposition. Tuchel is the first England manager to win his first three competitive games without conceding a goal. But given the paucity of opposition provided by Andorra, Latvia and Albania in the Group K qualifiers, that achievement rings a little hollow after this miserable display. "I'm not happy with the performance. We completely lost the momentum and couldn't get it back. We ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency," Tuchel said. "We can just admit it that it's not what we expect from us. I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I didn't like the attitude we ended the game with. "I didn't like the lack of urgency. It did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier." Tuchel had warned that England's tired stars should not be expected to thrash Andorra after gruelling domestic seasons. The German cited the motivational difficulties posed by the summer international break, just before nine of his players jet off to the Club World Cup in the United States. His fears proved prescient as England laboured to establish any rhythm in a soporific match with the feel of a pre-season friendly. It was a far cry from the pulsating drama produced by Spain and France in their recent Nations League semi-final, underlining the task facing Tuchel as he builds up to the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel didn't help England's cause by fielding an experimental side. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones started at right-back and Chelsea right-back Reece James featured at left-back. With Declan Rice rested, Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, 34, made his first England start since 2023, becoming the Three Lions' oldest player since Frank Lampard 11 years ago. Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka was left out after only completing one training session this week, leaving Noni Madueke, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer to line up behind striker Harry Kane. Bereft of ideas Chelsea winger Madueke impressed but Palmer and Rogers were underwhelming. Andorra hadn't scored an international goal for more than two years and they quickly settled into a defensive formation that allowed England to monopolise possession. As Tuchel had predicted, England didn't find it easy to prise open a massed Andorra defence featuring nine men behind the ball at all times. Madueke's drive from the edge of the area was pushed away by Andorra keeper Iker Alvarez. Kane should have broken the deadlock with a close-range chance from Jones' cut-back, but the England captain prodded wastefully wide. Given Tuchel's desire to see his player perform in the warm Catalan temperatures ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, it was instructive to see England struggle to find the energy and purpose required to make Andorra uncomfortable. They moved the ball too slowly, and were reduced them to hopeful efforts from distance, with Jude Bellingham's 25-yard shot comfortably saved by Alvarez. England looked bereft of ideas and the fans were beginning to grumble. Kane eased the mounting pressure when the Bayern Munich striker made the breakthrough five minutes after the interval. After Kane's initial shot was saved, Madueke alertly guided a low cross back into the six-yard box for the England captain to tap into the empty net. It was a modest way to reach a milestone for Kane, who has a remarkable 450 career goals for club and country in 697 games. England still couldn't find any momentum and were nearly punished in the closing stages when Guillaume Lopez's shot was blocked by Ezri Konsa.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Tuchel urges tired England to find 'energy' in Andorra qualifier
Tuchel knows the pressure is on to deliver a hefty victory in Barcelona against an Andorran team sitting 173rd in FIFA's world rankings. Tuchel's reign as England boss started with comfortable wins against Albania and Latvia at Wembley. Now the German takes the Three Lions on the first away trip of his reign and Andorra, who have lost all six previous meetings, should pose little threat to his unbeaten record. But Tuchel cited the motivational difficulties posed by the summer international break, which comes after a draining season and just before several of his players jet off to the Club World Cup. "I can fully understand that this is not the easiest time of the season for an international break," Tuchel told reporters on Friday. "The players come from a short break of holiday, from a long and tiring season and then accepting again the role. "It can be demanding but what I feel from the group is they are happy to be here. "We are quite new together, it's our second camp and I have trust and belief that we will do what is necessary to get the result that we want. "It is on us to keep the tempo high. It is on us to bring the attacking energy to the pitch and to do this in a relentless way." Tuchel used Spain's 5-0 win over Andorra in 2024 -- in which the tiny principality trailed only by one goal at half-time -- as evidence that England should not take a huge victory for granted. 'Test of our patience' "It is important not to over expect from us in terms of already a clear result, biggest chances, goals already after 10 or 20 minutes, and get impatient and get frustrated with ourselves," he said. "I think it's a test of our patience. Andorra played against Spain and it was 1-0 at half-time with a set-piece. "It's a World Cup qualifier. Respect your opponent, you respect the quality, the defensive organisation of your opponent and you understand how difficult it is to break down." Tuchel and his players have spent the week in Spain to aid team bonding and help prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will be staged in sweltering conditions in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Cycling in sauna-like conditions and testing on their core body temperature have formed part of the camp, while the temperature is forecast to be 26 degrees Celsius come kick-off on Saturday. "We just tried to figure out how the players individually react to heat because it will be a very hot and humid World Cup," said Tuchel, who will be without Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins due to a "minor" injury. "We did this so that we can provide individual cooling systems and individual electrolyte drinks and so on." Nine England players, including captain Harry Kane, will play in the Club World Cup after Tuesday's friendly against Senegal in Nottingham. But Tuchel hopes their impending commitment in the US doesn't prove a distraction. "You get just lost if you think now about the Senegal game and then you think about the Club World Cup. Then you just lose focus," he said. "We take it step by step. We will have a serious line-up tomorrow and we think the line-up is exactly the line-up that gives us the biggest chance to put the game in our way. "After the match, we take decisions for the Senegal match and we can maybe then think a little bit more about individual players who go after that to the Club World Cup, but tomorrow, it's a full focus on the World Cup qualifier." © 2025 AFP
