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 the 46-year-old German 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, who spent the past three seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign and coached Germany to a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, is a former Boston player — just like Bruins president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney.
“Boston has always held a special place in my heart, and I know how much this team means to the city and to our fans,” said Sturm, who was a Bruins left wing from 2005-10. "I’ve felt that passion as a player, and I can’t wait to be behind the bench and feel it again. I’m excited to get to work and do everything I can to help this team succeed.”
A three-time Olympian and first-round NHL draft pick who played most of his 14 seasons for the San Jose Sharks and Bruins, Sturm scored 242 goals with 245 assists in 938 career games and is No. 2 on the league's all-time scoring list for players born in Germany. As a coach, he worked as a Los Angeles Kings assistant guiding the Reign, the Kings' AHL affiliate, to a 119-80-11-6 record and three playoff appearances.
“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," Sweeney said. "As a former Bruin, he understands what this team means to the city and our fans. 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.”
Sacco, a Bruins assistant and former Colorado Avalanche head coach, replaced Montgomery 20 games into this season, but with the team unable to challenge for a playoff berth 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, and CEO Charlie Jacobs said after the season that 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.”
Boston is the last of eight NHL teams to fill their coaching openings this offseason.
Sacco was a candidate for the permanent job, but the Rangers announced on Thursday that he would be joining new coach Mike Sullivan's staff in New York. Others who reportedly received consideration were Washington Capitals assistant Mitch Love, former Chicago 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 an 8-9-3 start this season before 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 — 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.
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 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 defenseman. “The expectations in Boston have always been clear. It’s about winning championships.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press
