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New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins GM Don Sweeney got his coach. Now he needs to get some players
Coaches matter. Consider the progress the Boston Bruins made in 2022-23 when Jim Montgomery took over from Bruce Cassidy. Players like Trent Frederic and Brandon Carlo, laid low by Cassidy's grinding approach, felt like they could fly with Montgomery's positivity giving them updraft. With Montgomery insisting on smiles and encouraging his players to attack at every turn, the Bruins exploded from 107 points in 2021-22 to a record-setting 135 in 2022-23. The 2023 Jack Adams Award winner impacted performance on multiple levels, from uplifting his charges to incorporating strategies such as activating the weakside defenseman and emphasizing chance quality over quantity. Advertisement The Bruins believe they have hired another difference-making coach. They could be right. Marco Sturm was a playoff coach for the past three seasons for the AHL's Ontario Reign. The ex-Bruins winger understands what it means to pull on his new employer's jersey. Like Montgomery, Sturm is a glass-half-full personality, quick with a smile and an arm around the shoulder. 'He's got a good way about him. He really does,' Reign general manager Rich Seeley said. 'I'm really excited for him in this opportunity. I think he'll do well.' But let's be real. Three years ago, general manager Don Sweeney handed Montgomery a full deck: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci as the top two centers, Jake DeBrusk as a top-six wing, Taylor Hall as the No. 3 left wing, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman sharing time in net. Sweeney supplied Montgomery with even more prizes at the trade deadline: Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway and Tyler Bertuzzi. You cannot compare the stacks Montgomery had to work with to the pennies jangling in Sturm's pocket. As of now, Sturm counts just five forwards under contract for his first season: David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha and Mark Kastelic. It's a start. But nowhere near any coach's satisfaction. It should give Sturm comfort that on the back end, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Andrew Peeke and Mason Lohrei are returning, although the latter requires an extension. Sturm may have been a forward, but seven years of working for the Kings left him with an appreciation for defense. There is no other choice when black, white and silver are the team colors. Sturm stood atop a structure designed by Terry Murray, Darryl Sutter, John Stevens and Todd McLellan. If you don't check, you don't play. With that degree of defensive commitment in his coaching bones, Sturm will be pleased to have an alpha dog in McAvoy and a supporting cast eager for redemption. Sweeney thought highly enough of assistant coach Jay Leach, who oversaw the defense in 2024-25, to consider him a finalist for the head job. If Leach is retained, Sturm should have a credible foundation upon which he can build. Team defense, though, is only as good as its goaltending. It was not good enough last year. If Swayman plays more like he did in 2024-25 than he did in 2023-24 or at last month's World Championship, nothing Sturm designs in front of him will matter. One of Sturm's first chores, then, is to connect with Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo to make sure both are in the right frame of mind for the task at hand. Personal connection is one of Sturm's strengths. 'You feel trust,' Reign forward Jeff Malott said. 'You know that when things are being addressed, it's coming from a place of emphasizing development.' Advertisement Sturm has four months to install his 2025-26 game plan. His workload, however, will be light compared to that of his boss. It will not matter how stout Sturm's philosophy is and how well he sells it to his players and staff. He needs legitimate NHLers to carry out his vision. That is up to Sweeney. The GM's first priority is to button up his team's draft list at the NHL Scouting Combine, which concludes Saturday in Buffalo with fitness testing. Sweeney and his amateur staff cannot afford a miss with the No. 7 pick, even if the teenager they select will not be part of Sturm's first lineup. The tank that Sweeney indirectly asked interim coach Joe Sacco to execute with his stripped-down roster demands a sterling result. Sweeney also has to lock up Morgan Geekie, who will become a restricted free agent on July 1. Geekie and Pastrnak became a flammable first-line partnership. But the GM's heaviest lifting will come in free agency. It is the most viable mechanism Sweeney has to wield to give Sturm the roster he needs. Pursuing Mitch Marner may be a fool's errand. Plugging multiple holes with second- and third-line reinforcements projects to be the more judicious manner in which to construct Pastrnak's support staff. This did not go as well as Sweeney expected last year when he invested $54.25 million in Zadorov and Lindholm. He cannot afford to repeat the miscalculation. Sweeney initiated the teardown by firing Montgomery and selling off Carlo, Frederic, Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Justin Brazeau. He completed the next segment by hiring Sturm. The most important moves are yet to come.
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
From player to head coach, former NHLer Marco Sturm returns to Bruins
Ex-forward to guide NHL club that missed playoffs for 1st time since 2016 The Boston Bruins hired Marco Sturm as head coach on Thursday to help the Original Six franchise get back to the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2016. The Bruins picked Sturm to replace interim bench boss Joe Sacco, who took over from Jim Montgomery in November and led the team to a 25-30-7 record — much of it after a trade deadline roster purge. Sturm becomes the 30th head coach in Bruins history after spending the past three seasons as head coach of the American Hockey League's Ontario Reign. Sacco, a Bruins assistant and former Avalanche head coach, replaced Montgomery 20 games into this season, but with the team unable to challenge for a playoff berth general manager Don Sweeney traded away captain Brad Marchand and other veterans, and the Bruins stumbled to a 33-39-10 record overall, tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Only three teams in the league were worse. CEO Charlie Jacobs said the results were "absolutely unacceptable" and apologized to the fans for the performance. "We owe you a better team, and we aim to deliver a better team," he said after the season. "I share your disappointment and, frankly, embarrassment on how poorly things played out over the course of this season." Sturm, who was a Bruins forward from 2005-2010, is a former head coach and general manager for the German national team and spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings. Sturm's Ontario Reign team went 119-80-11-6 and made three consecutive playoff appearances. As a player, Sturm skated in 938 NHL regular-season games with Boston, Florida, Vancouver, Los Angeles and San Jose — the team the drafted him in the first round in 1996 — from 1997-2012. He recorded 242 career goals and 245 assists with a with a plus-59 rating. Sacco, others reportedly considered for job Sacco was a candidate for the permanent job. Others who reportedly received consideration were Washington Capitals assistant Mitch Love, former Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson and Bruins assistant Jay Leach. Montgomery, 55, was 120-41-23 in two-plus seasons in Boston. The Bruins finished with more than 100 points in each of his first two years, 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 playoffs that season and advanced to only the second round last year. The struggles carried over into the new season, when Boston began 8-9-3 and Montgomery was fired. He was hired five days later by the St. Louis Blues and was given a five-year contract; the Blues reached the playoffs and lost in the first round in seven games to the Winnipeg Jets. Boston never improved under Sacco. Heading into the trade deadline with a three-game losing streak that left them at 28-28, the Bruins traded Marchand ³ the only remaining member of their 2011 Stanley Cup championship team — along with forwards Justin Brazeau, Marc McLaughlin, Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle and defenseman Brandon Carlo to Toronto. And they left Sacco on the bench to ride it out. The depleted roster lost 10 straight games, the team lost only 12 in its record-setting 2022-23 season under Montgomery, and fell from possible playoff contender to the NHL draft lottery. Despite the disappointment, the Bruins signed Sweeney to a two-year contract extension, with team president Can Neely saying it would help to have stability in the front office during the coaching search. "I am confident in the plan he has followed these past few months, and excited for what's to come for our team," the former Bruins forward said of the former Bruins defenceman. "The expectations in Boston have always been clear. It's about winning championships."
National Post
5 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Bruins name ex-forward Marco Sturm as head coach to replace fired Jim Montgomery
The Boston Bruins hired Marco Sturm as coach on Thursday to help the Original Six franchise get back to the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2016. Article content The Bruins picked Sturm to replace interim coach Joe Sacco, who took over from Jim Montgomery in November and led the team to a 25-30-7 record — much of it after a trade deadline roster purge. Sturm becomes the 30th head coach in Bruins history after spending the past three seasons as head coach of the AHL's Ontario Reign. Article content Sacco, a Bruins assistant and former Avalanche head coach, replaced Montgomery 20 games into this season, but with the team unable to challenge for a playoff berth general manager Don Sweeney traded away captain Brad Marchand and other veterans, and the Bruins stumbled to a 33-39-10 record overall, tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Article content Only three teams in the league were worse. Article content CEO Charlie Jacobs said the results were 'absolutely unacceptable' and apologized to the fans for the performance. Article content 'We owe you a better team, and we aim to deliver a better team,' he said after the season. 'I share your disappointment and, frankly, embarrassment on how poorly things played out over the course of this season.' Article content Sturm, who was a Bruins forward from 2005-2010, is a former head coach and general manager for the German national team and spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings. Article content Sturm's Ontario Reign team went 119-80-11-6 and made three consecutive playoff appearances. Article content Article content As a player, Sturm skated in 938 career NHL games with Boston, Florida, Vancouver, Los Angeles and San Jose — the team the drafted him in the first round in 1996 — from 1997-2012. He recorded 242 career goals and 245 assists with a with a plus-59 rating. Article content Sacco was a candidate for the permanent job. Others who reportedly received consideration were Washington Capitals assistant Mitch Love, former Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson and Bruins assistant Jay Leach. Article content Montgomery, 55, was 120-41-23 in two-plus seasons in Boston. The Bruins finished with more than 100 points in each of his first two years — including a record-setting debut, when their 65 wins and 135 points were both the most in NHL history. Article content But the team lost in the first round of the playoffs that season and advanced to only the second round last year. The struggles carried over into the new season, when Boston began 8-9-3 and Montgomery was fired. He was hired five days later by the St. Louis Blues and was given a five-year contract; the Blues reached the playoffs and lost in the first round in seven games to the Winnipeg Jets.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Bruins name ex-forward Marco Sturm as head coach to replace fired Jim Montgomery
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins hired Marco Sturm as coach on Thursday to help the Original Six franchise get back to the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2016. The Bruins picked Sturm to replace interim coach Joe Sacco, who took over from Jim Montgomery in November and led the team to a 25-30-7 record — much of it after a trade deadline roster purge. Sturm becomes the 30th head coach in Bruins history after spending the past three seasons as head coach of the AHL's Ontario Reign. Sacco, a Bruins assistant and former Avalanche head coach, replaced Montgomery 20 games into this season, but with the team unable to challenge for a playoff berth general manager Don Sweeney traded captain Brad Marchand and other veterans and the Bruins stumbled to a 33-39-10 record overall, tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Only three teams in the league were worse. ___ AP NHL:
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Jay Leach a finalist for Bruins coaching position: Source
Jay Leach is a finalist for the Boston Bruins vacant head coaching position, a league source granted anonymity to discuss conversations regarding hockey operations personnel told The Athletic. Leach had an in-person interview on Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena. Leach, 45, recently concluded his first season as a Bruins assistant coach in charge of the defense. The Bruins hired Leach to join Jim Montgomery's staff after he spent the previous three years as Dave Hakstol's assistant with the Seattle Kraken. Hakstol was replaced by Dan Bylsma. Advertisement The Bruins allowed 3.30 goals per game in 2024-25, No. 26 in the NHL. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, the team's top two defensemen, were limited to 50 and 17 games, respectively, because of injuries. The Bruins expect McAvoy (shoulder) and Lindholm (patella) to be at full health for training camp. Leach was Providence's head coach for four seasons before his three-year stretch in Seattle. He was also a Providence assistant for one year under Kevin Dean. During his time in Providence, Leach coached McAvoy, Jakub Lauko and Jeremy Swayman. Other ex-Bruins who played for Leach in Providence include Noel Acciari, Connor Clifton, Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Matt Grzelcyk, Danton Heinen, Sean Kuraly, Jeremy Lauzon, Jack Studnicka and Dan Vladar. Leach joins Mitch Love and Marco Sturm as other confirmed finalists for the vacancy. Love completed his in-person interview on Wednesday, according to the source. Sturm is scheduled for his in-person interview on Friday. The standing of interim coach Joe Sacco is unknown. General manager Don Sweeney previously said Sacco would be part of a final group of candidates. Leach shares profiles with Love, 40, and Sturm, 46, as up-and-comers with no NHL head coaching experience. They are known as being sharp communicators who can engage with young players.
