The 46-year-old German was chosen by the Bruins to replace temporary coach Joe Sacco. Sacco took over from Jim Montgomery in November and led the team to a 25-30-7 record, with most of that time coming after the trade deadline. Sturm was the head coach of the Ontario Reign in the AHL for three years and led Germany to a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. He is a former player for the Boston Bruins, just like president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney.
Sturm is No. 2 on the NHL’s all-time list of German-born players with 242 goals and 245 assists in 938 games. He is a three-time Olympian and a first-round draft pick in the NHL. He played most of his 14 seasons for the San Jose Sharks and the Boston Bruins. As an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings, he led the Reign, the Kings’ AHL team, to a 119-80-11-6 record and three playoff trips.
“He’s a well-rounded coach who’s earned this chance,” Sweeney said. “He’s played for multiple NHL teams, coached internationally, and led at both the AHL and NHL levels.” “He knows how important this team is to the city and our fans because he used to play for the Bruin.” We’re going in a new way with Marco on the bench, and we’re sure that his energy, standards, and dedication to a tough, competitive style of hockey are perfect for Bruins hockey.
Montgomery was replaced by Sacco, a Bruins assistant coach and former Colorado Avalanche head coach. But with the team not being able to compete for a playoff spot, Sweeney traded away captain Brad Marchand and other veterans, and the Bruins ended up with a 33-39-10 record, tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
There were only three worse teams in the league. After the season, CEO Charlie Jacobs told the fans that the results were “absolutely unacceptable” and apologized for the team’s play.
“We deserve a better team, and we’re going to give it to you,” he said at the end of the season. “I feel the same way you do about how badly things went this season: disappointed and, to be honest, embarrassed.”
Sacco was in the running for the full-time job. Mitch Love, an assistant coach for the Washington Capitals, Luke Richardson, a former coach for the Chicago Blackhawks, and Jay Leach, an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins were also said to have been considered.
But that year, the team lost in the first round of the playoffs, and last year, they only made it to the second round. After a rough start last season (8-9-3), Montgomery was fired because of the problems. The next five days, the St. Louis Blues hired him and gave him a five-year deal. The Blues made the playoffs but lost to the Winnipeg Jets in seven games in the first round.
Under Sacco, Boston never got better.
Before the trade deadline, the Bruins were 28-28 and had lost three straight games. They traded Marchand, the only player left from their Stanley Cup-winning team from 2011, along with forwards Justin Brazeau, Marc McLaughlin, Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle, and defenseman Brandon Carlo.
They left Sacco on the bench to wait it out.
The roster was cut down, and the team lost 10 straight games. In Montgomery’s record-setting 2022–23 season, the team only lost 12 games, and it went from being a possible playoff contender to a lottery pick in the NHL draft.
Even though they were upset, the Bruins extended Sweeney’s deal for another two years. Neely said it would be good to have stability in the front office while they looked for a new coach.
The former Bruins forward said of the former Bruins center, “I am confident in the plan he has followed these past few months and excited for what’s to come for our team.” “In Boston, everyone has always known what to expect.” It’s all about getting titles.
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