BOSTON – While there were references to the past and directly to Marco Sturm’s playing career with the Boston Bruins, it was pretty evident in the 46-year-old’s introductory Tuesday press conference that the B’s expect the German national head coach to help lead them into the dawning of a new era.
Nobody was blowing any smoke about this hockey team turning into a Stanley Cup contender next season, and Don Sweeney admitted that the head coaching search – with a group of 14 candidates originally identified before they whittled down to finalists like Jay Leach, Jay Woodcroft and Mitch Love among others -- unearthed some raw, unvarnished outside opinions about the Bruins that perhaps Boston’s management group needed to hear from a hungry group of head coaching candidates.
“It can be uncomfortable when people look at [the Bruins organization and the roster] with a critical eye. Those are eye-opening [conversations] at times,” admitted Sweeney. “You have to take it to heart and accept the failures we had, and coaches pointed that out. And player development part was a big part of that.”
It’s no surprise that there would be detailed, unflinching critiques after the Bruins traded away a number of core veteran players, and then sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Division while failing to make the playoffs for the first time under Sweeney’s tenure. There’s no place to go but up for a team that languished in the bottom of the NHL in offense, defense and special teams last season, and Sturm said he was excited for that significant challenge to build things back up from rock bottom.
“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," said Sturm. "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 [in Boston] and how it is. As long as I'm putting in my work and preparation, we'll be in good shape."
The details were a little sketchy on exactly how things are going change from a hockey systems perspective, but Sturm did mention neutral zone trapping as something he’s employed previously. That’s right in line with a Los Angeles Kings organization that’s routinely used a 1-3-1 trap as part of their defensive plan for a group that finished second in the NHL in goals against average (2.48) last season, and has accomplished that while developing young players like Quentin Byfield, Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence and Alex Laferriere.
Sturm said some of the systems leanings will depend on what kind of personnel the Bruins bring in over the summer, but made it clear that “structure” is going to be a key component that was missing for abundantly bad stretches last season.
“When I saw Don Sweeney’s name [pop up] on my text, it was pretty special,” said Sturm. “It got me really excited. Of course, I wanted to be an NHL coach, but this [opportunity with the Bruins] means more…I know we have work to do. We have lots of work to do, I know that. We’re not going to fix it overnight. But we’re going to prepare starting Day 1 at training camp because I believe teams win championships…not one coach and not one player.
“I always called [the team culture] the heartbeat of the locker room and that comes from the guys inside. I’ve been through it because I was part of it. Having guys like Bergie, and Zee, and myself and we added pieces, and added pieces. That changed everything and for me it started at practice, you know? The way we prepared and the way we competed every day, it didn’t matter whether it was practice or a game. That for me changed the whole thing. Our mindset was for winning hockey games, not just going in and playing games. No. We wanted to win and everything was about it. That’s why it’s so important that the core guys are going to lead. And I will tell you this…I’ve already talked to a lot of my guys, a lot of my core veterans on the current team and I can tell that they learned from Bergeron and Chara. That they have it in them and that got me excited. We’ve just got to guide them and re-establish the whole thing. Those guys aren’t here anymore so it’s going to be up to us, the new group, to lead [the Bruins] to a new era.”
Above all else, though, Sturm talked about the Bruins culture that he helped build 20 years ago, and the desire to return to that while also fully understanding all of the original architects are gone at this point. Instead, it’s about Sturm, and some of the core players like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, who learned from original architects Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron, setting a new standard in training camp and then building on it with a young, hungry group that wants to make their own mark.
Sweeney called it “re-shaping the team” and “re-establishing and renewing the identity” among other things that played into the search that ended with Sturm.
“We went into the coaching search fully knowing that we’re not going to be the same team that we were previously, and we won’t be that when the season opens,” said Don Sweeney. “This about a growth opportunity for the organization and Marco is a big part of that. We will reshape. He has the tools. He’s been a part of player development [in the Kings organization] so he knows the path, and the steps that these players need to make.
“He can challenge whoever it’s going to be whether it’s [Matt] Poitras or [Fraser] Minten. Take your pick. Take that player and those situations and what he’s learned from whether it was over in Germany, or in LA and then even stepping back [to the AHL] and watching them make that jump. [The conversation during the interview process] was always about how he was going to coach, how we’re going to play and what our identity was going to be.”
Sweeney confirmed that current assistant coaches Jay Leach, Chris Kelly and goalie coach Bob Essensa will remain on Sturm’s staff for next season, and that there remains one open assistant coach spot that will likely go to somebody tasked with turning around the sputtering Bruins power play. It was interesting to note that Sturm’s former linemate Patrice Bergeron was on hand at the press conference in a show of support, a vote of confidence that carries plenty of weight in the Bruins organization.
It also highlighted that Sturm is a very unique individual that can bridge the past glory of the Bruins teams he played with versus heralding in a new B’s era to be ushered in with him behind the bench.
The talk at Sturm’s introductory presser was about realistic, modest expectations for next season’s Bruins group with a new, passionate NHL head coach putting them through their steps, and that’s the proper, measured approach after the bottom dropped out for the Black and Gold last season.