- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,130,401
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Marco Sturm, a first-time coach in the NHL, was hired on June 4, 2025, to be the guy to lead the Boston Bruins through their retool.
“First of all, I’m so happy to be back here.”
He entered as the fourth Bruins coach in the last five seasons. He was brought in to help establish a culture, connect with the youth, and integrate a new system.
“The ability for me to come to work every day with a smile, it can’t get any better. I think that’s how I felt all year long, even the ups and downs. Because again, because of the people around me, the coaches, the staff, the players, everyone bought in. And I think to see that as a coach, as an individual, and to feel that every day, it’s freaking amazing, right? And that’s why I love every minute,” Sturm said after the Bruins’ final playoff game. “I know it’s a tough league. I know not every season is the same, too. So I was trying to enjoy it as much as I can.”
On breakup day, many players mentioned “buying in” to Marco Sturm’s system and credited him for some individual bounce-back seasons.
“Having a guy who played and understands what we’re going through and also being a coach and being hard on guys as well, I think it’s a hard balance to have and a hard line to walk,” Casey Mittelstadt said on breakup day. “I think he did a great job of it. I was very impressed with that. And you know, I think he really empowered us. And me personally, after probably a tough year the year before, empowered me to kind of bounce back and [that] stuck with me.”
Viktor Arvidsson, who had a previous history with Sturm, said he “had huge confidence” in the head coach.
The hiring followed a two-year contract extension for GM Don Sweeney, aligning the two to keep a stable front office as Sturm entered his first year at the helm.
“The one thing I like about [working with Sweeney] is I’m always involved,” Sturm said. “For example, in LA, it was not always that same way. What I mean is [that] by free agency and at the draft, I was at the table and communicated with the scouts. So I felt involved right away, and that’s why maybe certain players ended up in Boston.”
Whether that move was bringing in Viktor Arvidsson or Lukas Reichel, or the multitude of AHL call-ups this season, Sturm’s impact extends beyond the bench.
The expectations, especially outside of Boston, were not high. Yet Sturm approached the season head-on. He led the Bruins to the postseason after a one-year absence, even after two six-game skids in October and December.
He also said he loves working with younger players. His experience in the AHL provides him with a lens on both sides of potential call-ups. The Bruins got a full 82-game, Seventh Player Award-winning season out of Fraser Minten, as well as a breakout season from Marat Khusnutdinov.
The team embraced its hard-to-play-against identity, one that Neely praised during the end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, while acknowledging there is still work to do.
Through it all, Cam Neely said Sturm did a “remarkable job,” saying, “It’s not an easy job to be a head coach in the National Hockey League, especially in a market like ours, but he had played here, so he knew what the expectations were. But until you go through it, you don’t really know what you’re going through.”
The Bruins have a lot of work to do this summer, specifically adding speed and skill. But after a first year filled with buy-in, development, and a postseason appearance, Marco Sturm demonstrated that he was not only the right choice, but also capable of steering the Bruins back toward Stanley Cup contention in the future.
FOLLOW @JACKSTUDLEY13 ON | FOLLOW @BOSHockeyNow ON
The post Marco Sturm ‘Empowered’ Bruins in First Season appeared first on Boston Hockey Now.
Continue reading...
