Marco Sturm shares his vision for the Boston Bruins after being introduced as new head coach
Marco Sturm understood how special it was to be a member of the Boston Bruins during his five seasons as a player. But being named the new head coach of the Original Six franchise has brought about a whole new rush of feelings for the 46-year-old.
Sturm couldn't contain his smile as he was formally introduced as the 30th head coach in Boston Bruins history on Tuesday. (Watch the full press conference .) It will be his first head-coaching gig in the NHL, and one he was honored to take when Boston general manager Don Sweeney offered him the job.
"When I saw Don Sweeney's name on my text, it was pretty special. It got me really excited. Of course, I wanted to be an NHL coach, but this means more," Sturm said at his introduction.
Getting to be head coach of the Bruins means more to Sturm because he still sees the identity and culture he was part of when he had a Spoked-B on his sweater from 2005-10. It was a foundation set by players like Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara, and Sturm wants to see it continue in Boston. (Bergeron was in attendance on Tuesday, and Sturm was grateful to have his former teammate and the Bruins legend at his introduction.)
However, Sturm admits the Bruins cannot simply remain the same old Bruins and hope to succeed in the present and future. The team's offense needs a revamp, and Boston needs to get a lot better on special teams after ranking at the bottom of the NHL in both power play and penalty kill in 2024.
Sturm has enjoyed success as a head coach on the International level with Germany and in the AHL, and is now ready to take his coaching career to the top level. He's not going to do it all on his own, and is looking forward to working with Sweeney, team president Cam Neely, and his coaching staff to get the Bruins back to contention.
"They are going to push me hard. We want to lead by example every day," said Sturm. "I'm really looking forward to also pushing the team to the next level. ... It's going to be up to me and my coaching staff, up to my players, up to management, and also up to the fans of the Boston Bruins. Again, I've got such great memories here and I know the fans will -- as soon as they feel something good happening here, they will support you. It kind of goes the other way too, but I don't want to talk about that. I want to look forward.
"I know we have a lot of work to do and we won't fix it overnight. But it will start Day 1 of training camp," he added. "Teams win championships, not one coach or one player."
Sturm had some head-coaching interviews last year, but remained the head coach of the Ontario Reign, Los Angeles' AHL affiliate. He didn't feel he was ready to take over an NHL team at that point in his career.
"There was a reason I took my time and didn't just take the first opportunity. I wanted to be prepared. I always wanted to come back here, but the timing was perfect," he said. "Selfishly, I'm glad the Bruins didn't play well last year because I wouldn't be here."
Now he's back in Boston, and Sturm has a clear vision for how he'll lead the Bruins. He says his experience as both a player and coach will help him connect with today's NHL players, whom he is very clear and direct with. He said Claude Julien was one of his favorites coaches to play for because he was honest and direct with players.
Sturm also hates to lose, and thinks his players will feed off that emotion.
"The messages I'll deliver – could be system wise or anything – will be very clear and no grey area. We're all going to work together and I'm going to push those guys forward," he said. "I hate losing and am very competitive. That is something a lot of people don't know about Marco Sturm. It's not about me; today will be and maybe tomorrow too. But I can't wait to get in the locker room and work with my guys.
"I can't wait for Day 1 to see the Bruins fans behind us and pushing us to the next level," he added.
Sturm didn't want look too far ahead, and said he likes to take things day by day or game by game. Right now, his focus is on getting to know his players and getting a system and program in place for training camp.
But he did share his plan on how he'll fix the Boston offense -- or at least part of that plan.
Sturm's plan to fix the Bruins offense
While the Bruins will continue to focus on playing good, strong defense, Sturm acknowledged the team has to evolve offensively with the rest of the NHL. Being more productive in the offensive zone and improving on special teams will be major topics he addresses going forward.
"There are different ways to approach things. When I talk about we want to score more goals, it's not just in the offensive zone," he said. "Yes, that's where the puck is going to end up, but how are we going to get there? That's a big part too, and there are other areas we can get better. We have to have the puck more and have better entries for example, and not turn the puck over.
"We have to put that structure in place, but we also have to be more hungry and have a better mindset," Sturm continued. "It's not just one thing. There are a bunch of things we have to get better at. I want them to have that offensive mindset and mentality when we have the puck. Not just think the game, but play the game fast. It's not going to happen overnight, but that's something I'll address right away."
The Bruins offense averaged just 2.71 goals per game in 2024, which was tied for the 28th-worst in the NHL. On special teams, Boston converted on just 15.2 percent of its power plays (ranking 29th) while it killed off penalties at a 76.3 percent clip (24th). So it's very clear what the Bruins brass needs to address this offseason, and Sturm needs to hammer home in camp.
Sturm said there will be a lot of team meetings early on to address the changes to the offense. As for those specific changes, he wasn't about to share his complete vision with the rest of the NHL.
"I'm going to put a system in place where players will have success," he said. "We're going to make those players better offensively. I'm not going to tell you how we're going to do it today, but hopefully you can see it pretty soon."
Challenges of coaching in Boston
Sturm is taking over a Bruins team that missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade last season, and one that might be looking at a rebuild for a few seasons. Today's Bruins roster is not the one Sturm will have when training camp opens, so we'll see what Sweeney does this summer to shorten the rebuilding process.
Sturm knows there will be pressure to succeed in his first head-coaching job, but that was part of the reason he took the gig.
"It doesn't matter if you're in Boston or not, the job is a challenge. But it's a good challenge and I love a challenge," he said. "That goes back to my playing days and didn't change in my coaching days. I want to get challenged every day from my coaches and players, because I know that will make me better.
"I know the expectation here and how it is," he added. "As long as I'm putting in my work and preparation, we'll be in good shape."
Marco Sturm's coaching staff with Bruins
Sweeney revealed Tuesday that assistant coaches Chris Kelly and Jay Leach will remain in Boston on Sturm's staff, as will longtime goalie coach Bob Essensa. That leaves one more spot on his coaching staff, which Sturm and the team is already exploring options to fill.
"I'm looking at everything right now. Experience, young, it doesn't matter," said Sturm. "At the end of the day it's got to be the right fit for me and the team. Yes, we want someone who has power play experience. But again, we're in that process of looking right now.
"There are a lot of coaches out there and I'm confident we'll find the right one who checks the boxes we need. But it has to be a good fit too," continued Sturm. "I have to be comfortable, the team has to be comfortable. We are going to set the tone and we have to come out very strong and very prepared. The coaching staff, we're going to be together every day so it's a big hire for me."
