June 10th, 2025, 3:51pm
BOSTON – Marco Sturm won the first taste of passionate Bruins fans when he was traded to Boston for NHL MVP Joe Thornton as soon as the first draft pick.
“I mean, that wasn’t my fault, right?” the former Bruins forward told laughing reporters at a press conference Tuesday introducing him as the team’s coach. “I got here and it was difficult. I’m not going to lie. You read paper and social media, you go on the streets, people let you know, right?
“But it pushes you forward. And I looked at it positively,” Sturm said. “I have so many good memories here. And I know the fans. As soon as you feel that something good is happening here, they will support you. I know that.
With three Olympians who played five of their 14 NHL seasons with the Bruins and a first-round draft pick, Sturm led Germany to silver medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, spending the next six years with the Los Angeles Kings organization.
New Bruins coach on the left, Marco Sturm has already been familiar with Boston fans since his time as a player. AP Photo/Mary Schwalm
The 46-year-old former left fielder replaced Joe Sacco, who finished his season as interim coach after Jim Montgomery was fired in November. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said it’s important to have a coach “understand our fanbase and cherish the same thing – incredibly difficult every night” when a team tries to rebuild after missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Bruins marked the opportunity at a press conference in their office overlooking Causeway Street and TD Garden. Former Captain Patrice Bergeron, who supported the winner of Sturm’s overtime game at the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, was in the front row as a support show. German chocolate cupcakes – nod to the heritage of a new coach – were offered.
Sturm said he never considered coaching while he was playing, but before he got a job as head coach and general manager of the German national team in 2015, he started working with his own kids.
“And that’s where I really realized, ‘This is actually me,'” he said. “And that’s where I have passion. That’s what I’m good at. And I’ll chase it.”
He put on hold on his family time plans and lived in Los Angeles for six years, apart from his wife and children.
“I was chasing my dreams,” Sturm said, adding that the children, now 19 and 21, had missed Boston after leaving. “My kids grew up there. They always wanted to come back. And they’re here. Now they get their wish.”
Sturm said it wasn’t just the opening, but the Bruins present a team with strong goaltending at Jeremy Swayman, a solid core led by defensive men Charlie McAvoy and forward David Pastornack, and if it’s healthy they can push the playoffs. Boston also stockpiled draft picks and young talent for the midseason trade deadline purge that dealt with several veterans, including Brad Merchand, the sole member of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup Championship roster.
The Bruins finished with 76 points this season when they set an NHL record of 65 wins and 135 points after posting more than 100 points in six consecutive non-pandemic shelting seasons, including the 2023 presidential trophy. Only the bad teams have gotten worse.
“All the work – it doesn’t matter if you’re in Boston or not – it’s a challenge. But it’s a good challenge. I love the challenge,” Sturm said. “I know the expectations here. I know how it is. But as long as I’m working and preparing, I know I’ll be in good condition.”
