What to know about Marco Sturm, the 30th head coach in Bruins history
The Boston Bruins finally named a new head coach on Thursday, hiring Marco Sturm as the 30th bench leader in franchise history. He's a familiar face in Boston, having spent five seasons in a Bruins sweater as a player, but this will be his first go as an NHL head coach.
But the 46-year-old Sturm has led teams on both the international level and in the AHL, and had success in each venture. The Bruins are confident he'll do the same in the NHL in Boston.
Here's what you need to know about the new head coach of the Boston Bruins.
Marco Sturm is Boston's first European head coach
A native of Dingolfing, Germany, Sturm is the first European head coach in Bruins history. He's just the fifth European coach in NHL history, and the first-ever German head coach.
Sturm was a superstar player in Germany, and leads all German players in NHL games played. He was the NHL's leading German-born scorer with 242 goals and 245 assists until 2021, when Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl broke his record.
Sturm also played for Germany in three Olympic Games (1998, 2002, 2010), four IIHF Men's World Championships (1997, 2001, 2004, 2008) and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Marco Sturm played five seasons with Bruins
A talented winger as a player, Sturm spent five of his 14 NHL seasons with the Bruins after he was acquired in the controversial blockbuster trade that sent Joe Thornton to San Jose during the 2005-06 season. He played 305 games for Boston and tallied 106 goals to go with 87 assists, usually playing on the left wing of Patrice Bergeron's line.
While the Thornton trade really upset fans, Sturm had 23 goals in his first 51 games with the Bruins. His best season in Boston was 2007-08, when Sturm had 27 goals and 28 assists for 56 points -- three off his career-high of 59 points, which he set in 05-06 split between San Jose and Boston.
His most famous highlight with the Bruins was his game-winning, overtime goal in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. He also scored the winning goal in Game 6 of Boston's first-round showdown against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 playoffs.
Overall, Sturm had two goals and two assists over 14 postseason games with the Bruins.
Marco Sturm's career as an NHL player
Sturm was drafted 21st overall by San Jose in 1996 and played 938 games over his 14-year career for the Sharks, Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Florida Panthers. He made one All-Star team in 1998-99 with the Sharks -- his second season in the NHL.
Sturm retired after the 2011-12 season with a plus-59 rating for his career. He also had nine goals and 13 assists over 68 playoff games, but the furthest his teams made it was the Conference Semifinals.
Marco Sturm started his head-coaching career for Germany
Sturm's coaching career began with the German Men's National Team in 2015, when he served as the team's head coach and general manager. He won a Deutschland Cup title in 2018, and then led Germany to a silver medal in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. It marked the first time a German team appeared in the gold medal game.
Germany also went to back-to-back quarterfinals in the IIHF Men's World Championship in 2016 and 2017.
Marco Sturm had success as a head coach in the AHL
After his run with Germany, Sturm became an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings. He held that job until 2022, when he was promoted to head coach of L.A.'s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. He led the Reign to a 119-80-11-6 and three consecutive playoff appearances from 2022-25.
The Kings are a defensive-minded franchise, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney believes Sturm will bring that to Boston -- along with a fresh approach offensively.
"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 a statement announcing the Sturm hiring. "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."
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