Marco Sturm turns to his playing experience to address Bruins’ culture issues

BOSTON — Displayed mere feet away from where Bruins head coach Marco Sturm sat during his introductory press conference were six glass cases exhibiting replica Stanley Cups, one for each of the franchise’s titles. It was an ironic backdrop, considering Sturm repeatedly steered his answers away from discussions about the past, even when asked for his opinion about a 2024-25 season that fell dramatically short of expectations.

That’s not to say Sturm failed to recognize the historical significance of becoming the Bruins’ 30^th head coach in franchise history. He helped create the team's nucleus that eventually won the 2011 Stanley Cup, missing cultivating postseason moments after he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in December 2010.

Sturm returned to Boston 15 years later to command a team in a different spot than he is accustomed to, especially possessing a top-10 draft pick — its highest since 2010, when it drafted forward Tyler Seguin second overall — in the 2025 NHL Draft. Now he’ll look to restore those values with his playing experience as a first-year head coach.

“It’s so important that the core guys got to lead,” Sturm said. “I'm going to tell you this, I already talked to a bunch of guys, all my veterans on the current team right now, and I can tell right away they learn from [former Bruin Patrice] Bergeron, they learned from [former Bruin Zdeno] Chara because they already have it in there. That really got me excited, too.

“I know we’ve just got to guide them. We've got to re-establish the whole [culture] because these guys are not here anymore, so now it's going to be up to us and the new group to lead this group to a new era.”

^{L-R: Marco Sturm, Don Sweeney}

Fundamental pillars began to erode at the outset of the 2024-25 season. Jim Montgomery was fired after 20 games, elevating Joe Sacco to interim head coach. The Bruins later sent Brad Marchand, their captain and longest-tenured player, to Florida at the trade deadline before missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Less than three months later, Marchand is contending for his second Stanley Cup while Boston just concluded its fourth head coaching search in nine years.

Despite fresh rubble surrounding the supporting beams that Sturm helped erect two decades ago, the Bruins’ vacancy was still attractive to him.

“When I saw [Bruins general manager] Don Sweeney's name on my text, it was pretty special,” Sturm said. “It got me really, really excited, and of course, I want to be an NHL coach, but this means more. And why? I think there are a few reasons. I think the identity, and Don was talking about the culture we built here 20 years ago, it's still here. The style and all the winning mindset we had. I think that's something that just gets me really excited, and that's what I believe in.”

The Bruins’ offensive ineptitude headlined their disappointing 2024-25 campaign, scoring only 222 goals, sixth-fewest in the NHL. Their 26.5 shots on goal per game and 15.2 power-play percentage each ranked fourth-lowest.

That’s not to say building blocks are absent for the Bruins moving forward. Star right wing David Pastrnak is returning after scoring a team-high 106 points (43 goals) with goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who signed an eight-year, $66-million deal in October. Swayman underperformed with an .892 save percentage last year after flashing potential throughout the 2023-24 season. Additionally, the franchise holds the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, a position that could yield a return via a trade or a young prospect.

“I still love our team, even without any additions, because I think we have good goaltending,” Sturm said. “I think that when everyone stays healthy, we have a really good [defensive] core. I think we, hopefully, want to add a few pieces up front, but overall, I do like our core. But having said that, I think depth-wise, we just probably need a little bit more. I think in our DNA and the Bruins' DNA playing good defensively, it's not going to change, but we have to find a way to be more productive offensively.

"I think that's going to be our goal, and not sure a challenge, but that's what we're going to address from day one, and obviously special teams will be a big part too.”

^{L-R: Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak}

So how did Sturm convince Boston he was the right guy to fix its issues?

“As we were going through the process, you could see that Marco would get more passionate, not just because he was a player here, that drifted off into the background pretty quickly,” Sweeney said. “It was about passion for coaching and the path that he has taken, the sacrifices he's made, and the structure he, not just lives his life with, but how he coaches.”

Sturm will spend his inaugural season rebuilding a culture that eroded over the previous few seasons with a core that was responsible for its destruction. Perhaps it’s too difficult a task for a first-year head coach to overcome, even one who crafted it as a player 20 years ago. Maybe that experience is exactly what is needed to fix it.

What is known is that a solution will be requested from Sturm if he wants to add a seventh Stanley Cup to the Bruins’ display cases.

“We've got to build that foundation, again, from the bottom, and I'm not going to just going to look ahead for something I just can't control right now,” Sturm said. “This is my focus right now. Get to know the players, build that relationship, getting everyone on the same page and get them excited again to wear this jersey every night.”