Latest news with #MarcoSturm
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bruins News: Boston Hires New Assistant Coach
The Boston Bruins have announced that they have hired Steve Spott as a new assistant coach. With former Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco leaving the organization after Boston hired Marco Sturm as their new bench boss, the Original Six club had a vacant assistant coach spot up for grabs. Now, Spott is the guy they are going with for the role. Advertisement Spott, 57, just completed a three-year stint as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars. Before then, he was an assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights (2019-20 to 2021-22), San Jose Sharks (2015-16 to 2018-19), and Toronto Maple Leafs (2014-15). He was also head coach of the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, during the 2013-14 season. Overall, the Bruins have landed a solid assistant coach with plenty of experience in Spott. With this move, the Bruins' coaching staff for the 2025-26 season is complete. In addition to Spott, Jay Leach and Chris Kelly will be the Bruins' assistant coaches for this upcoming campaign. Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Trolls Bruins With 3-Word Message Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Trolls Bruins With 3-Word Message The Advertisement Florida Panthers won their second Stanley Cup in a row earlier this week, and they are continuing to celebrate. They have also been stirring the pot with some trolling. Photo Credit: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
CBS News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Bruins add assistant Steve Spott to Marco Sturm's coaching staff
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm has added longtime NHL assistant coach Steve Spott to his staff in Boston. Spott will become one of Sturm's three assistant coaches, and will likely run the power play in Boston. Spott, 57, enjoyed a lot of success when he ran the power play in Dallas over the last three seasons. The Stars had one of the best power-play units in the NHL over that stretch, converting on 23.7 percent of its chances to rank seventh in the NHL. Last season, Boston converted on just 15.2 percent of its chances on the man-advantage, which ranked 29th in the NHL. The Bruins power play was successful on 22.2 percent of its chances in both 2023-24 and 2022-23, which ranked 14th and 12th in the NHL, respectively. "I'm incredibly excited and honored to join the Boston Bruins organization," Spott said in a release Friday. "Being part of an Original Six franchise with such a proud history and tradition means a great deal to me and my family. The opportunity to work alongside Marco and the rest of this coaching staff, in front of one of the most passionate fanbases in hockey, is something I'm truly grateful for, and I can't wait to get started." "I'm thrilled to add Steve Spott to our coaching staff, and also welcome him, his wife Lisa and their children, Tyler and Emma, to Boston," Sturm said in a release Friday announcing Spott's hiring. "Steve is a passionate teacher, a strong communicator, and brings great structure and detail to everything he does. His experience, especially on special teams, will be a major asset for our group and for the Bruins moving forward." Before his three-year run in Dallas, Spott was an assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights (2020-22), the San Jose Sharks (2015-19), and the Toronto Maple Leafs (2014-15). He was also the head coach of the Toronto Marlies in the AHL from 2013-14, going 45-25-6 with a Northern Division crown with the club. He began his coaching career in the Ontario Hockey League as an assistant for the Plymouth Whalers for four seasons, followed by stints as an assistant coach (2002-08) and the head coach (2008-13) of the Kitchener Rangers. Marco Sturm's Bruins coaching staff Spott now joins assistant coaches Jay Leach and Chris Kelly and goaltending coach Bob Essensa on Sturm's coaching staff for the 2025-26 season. Those other three coaches are holdovers from the Jim Montgomery/Joe Sacco regime from last season.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matt Vautour: The Bruins are asking a lot of Marco Sturm
BOSTON — There is no hard and fast predictive test from a press conference that indicates how the guy at the podium will fare when he's behind the bench. Jerod Mayo's introductory press conference was a coronation as the Patriots announced their next great coach. At Joe Mazzulla's first media availability, for understandable reasons, he seemed on edge and overwhelmed. Today, Mayo is unemployed and Mazzulla has a ring and as much confidence as anyone. Advertisement So, drawing too many conclusions from Marco Sturm's introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Bruins would be foolish. But, in his first public appearance as an NHL head coach, Sturm came off as comfortable, confident and intelligent. His German accent even added a bit of gravitas. But only time and games will show if he is ready. But he came off like he felt ready, which is good because the Bruins are asking a lot. They want him to: Develop the young players. Fix the power play. Maintain the culture. Get the Bruins back on the right path. Takeaways from Marco Sturm Day 1: All of this requires projection and imagination — Whether or not they did so intentionally, the Bruins lowered expectations on a big free agent haul. That doesn't mean they're not going to sign key pieces, but Sturm emphasized his belief in the current roster. Advertisement 'I still love our team, even without any additions,' he said. 'We have good goaltending. When everyone stays healthy, we have a really good D-corps. We're hopefully going to add a few pieces up front.' And when Sweeney was asked about roster-building, he talked about decisions regarding Matt Poitras or Fraser Minten, not Mitch Marner or Sam Bennett. That's probably the realistic approach. The Bruins have the eighth most projected available cap space ($26.27 million) according to Puckpedia, but they also have the fewest players signed to NHL contracts of any team in the league. Not including the goalies, they have five forwards (David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Casey Mittelstadt, Mark Kastelic and Elias Lindholm) and four defensemen (Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov and Andrew Peeke) who are roster locks for next year. So that money is likely going to be spread around. Some is presumably going to Morgan Geekie and Mason Lohrei, who are restricted free agents. The rest has to go toward filling a lot of roster spots. Advertisement Development will be key — No matter who the Bruins sign, draft or trade for, they'd benefit from increased contributions from their young players. They're counting on Sturm, who did a good job of drawing improvement from Los Angeles Kings prospects in the AHL, doing the same in Boston with Matt Poitras, Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell or any one of a handful of other players, who have straddled the line between the AHL and the NHL. 'He's been part of player development, so he knows that path and what it takes to make those steps, so he can challenge whoever it's going to be,' Sweeney said. 'So that was more about the process of how we're going to get there, but it was always about the coaching.' It's not just developing young guys but putting older players in position to succeed. Can he get more out of Elias Lindholm or Casey Mittlestadt? More offense out of Charlie McAvoy? Sturm said he was being picky about which jobs to pursue — In addition to his family being partial to living in Boston, Sturm said he wanted his first head coaching job to come under the right circumstances. Advertisement 'I wanted to be an NHL coach. But also I looked at some teams and I knew that wouldn't be, probably a good fit. There's a reason why I took my time,' he said. 'I always wanted to come back here, obviously, but I think the timing of it was just perfect, right? I mean, selfishly, I'm glad the Bruins didn't play well last year, because otherwise I wouldn't be here, let's be honest.' Sweeney's candidate pool ran deep — While all interviews are obviously not created equal, Sweeney said he spoke to 14 coaching candidates during the process. At a time when the Bruins are reimagining what their system, culture and roster should look like, there's an advantage to hearing a lot of ideas. Sweeney said hearing the parade of hopefuls critique the roster was difficult but valuable. Advertisement 'Coaches came in and gave their honest opinion of how they wanted to see things. The things you had done well, the things you hadn't done well, the outside perspective that teams have had of the Bruins organization over the years, the changes that have gone well and haven't gone well during those years, and success or not having success,' Sweeney said. 'Those are eye-opening at times, and it's constructive. You have to take it to heart and make adjustments. ... Marco went through some of the things that he felt that we had done well, but things that we had gotten away from, and where the league is at and where the league is headed to. ... There were some very constructive things that took place during the process that I'm grateful for.' Sturm is keeping a guy on his staff who was a candidate for the job — As the Bruins have often done, they're keeping much of their staff intact even with a new coach. That's a challenge for anyone, but in Jay Leach, Sturm will have a guy working for him, who interviewed for his job. That might work fine. But it's at least a strange dynamic. The Bruins weren't quite ready to disconnect themselves from their recent history — Is Bruins culture something that can continue with new players and new leaders or is it something that needs to be re-imagined and rebuilt? While they no longer have any players from the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, the culture created by Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand was referenced often. Advertisement 'The culture we built here 20 years ago. It's still here, that the style and the winning mindset we had,' said Sturm, who was a player on the teams that first established that culture. 'I think that's something that gets me really excited, and that's what I believe in.' More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bruins hire 2010 Winter Classic hero as next coach
The Boston Bruins have their guy. Boston hired Marco Sturm as the organization's new coach. Sturm played for the Bruins for five seasons after he was acquired by the Bruins in a trade that sent Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks in 2005. Advertisement Sturm played hero for Boston in 2010 when he scored the game-winning overtime goal in the Bruins' first Winter Classic appearance at Fenway Park. Sturm takes over for Joe Sacco, who served as Boston's interim coach after Jim Montgomery was fired in November. The Bruins interviewed several candidates including Jay Woodcroft, Jay Leach, Mitch Love and Sacco. The 46-year-old inherits a team that went 33-39-10 in a disappointing 2024-25 season that saw the Bruins trade away Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo and their captain, Brad Marchand. While this is Sturm's first NHL head coaching job, his résumé includes international experience, including leading the German national team to a silver medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. The German-born forward has been with the AHL's Ottawa Reign for three seasons where he's thrived as their coach. The team went 119-80-11-6 during his tenure and made three consecutive playoff appearances. Advertisement Before that, Sturm spent time as an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings. With Sturm on board, the Bruins' next priority will be the NHL Draft later this month where they have the No. 7 pick. In 938 NHL games, Sturm registered 487 points. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matt Vautour: Bruins passed on safer choices to chase Marco Sturm's higher ceiling
Anyone praising or criticizing the Bruins' choice of Marco Sturm to be the franchise's next head coach is guessing. Nobody knows how a 46-year-old former player, who has never been a head coach in the NHL before, will fare. Advertisement But to their credit or detriment, the Bruins' front office took a big swing. With Marco Sturm, they chose to chase the potential of a high ceiling rather than the safety of a probable high floor. Years from now, history will judge that as either brilliant or risky. If Sturm is the next Kris Knoblauch, they'll be thrilled. If he's Ralph Krueger, they're in trouble. There were safer choices. In the NHL, there's always a former coach ready to be a current coach. And this year was no different. The search cycle started with six former Stanley Cup-winning coaches available and several others with prior experience. But the Bruins went for the unknown. Sturm has the benefit of being both a recognizable name and a fresh voice. Fans will like that he's the guy who scored memorable game-winning goals in the first Winter Classic in Boston and in Game 6 against the Canadiens in 2008. He'll understand what hockey means to the city and what the fanbase is like. Advertisement But while he played for the Bruins, he earned his coaching stripes in Los Angeles and in Germany. He won't be more of the same. His emphasis on defensive reliability meshes with Don Sweeney's preferred approach, but he'll come at it differently. While both tenures ended in disappointment, Sweeney has previously identified and hired two good coaches. Bruce Cassidy led the Bruins to the finals and Vegas to a Cup. Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award in 2023, but might have done a better coaching job in 2023-24 when he led a salary-cap ravaged team back to the second round of the playoffs. St. Louis improved upon his arrival. Advertisement Sturm has a different initial assignment than the one given to his predecessors, though. Cassidy and Montgomery were given high-end rosters with a charge to win a Cup. Sturm gets a team with pieces and question marks. While the Bruins have stated that they don't think this is a rebuild, but a retooling, they owe Sturm some patience. Like any new coach, he'll make mistakes. But the Bruins are hoping his youth helps him connect with a roster of younger players in a way that helps spark their development and that the long-term results outweigh any growing pains. Change the rule... The Oilers won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on a power-play goal on one of the worst penalties in sports. Advertisement Tomas Nosek accidentally flipped the puck into the stands, an automatic delay of game minor, creating a rare overtime power play. That a game that important was decided by a penalty so insignificant is bad for hockey. A delay of game should be treated like icing. The team that committed the out-of-play flip should have a defensive zone faceoff and not be allowed to change lines. That gives them a disadvantage proportional to the infraction and enough disincentive not to do it. No Charlie... NCAA President Charlie Baker says he sees value in expanding the NCAA basketball tournaments. The only people who think this is a good idea are coaches and athletic directors, whose jobs and bonuses come making the field. Advertisement Currently, the first day of the NCAA Tournament is one of the best days in sports. Expansion would turn it into the basketball version of the Independence Bowl. Leave the tournament alone. Real Jeopardy! Clue Sports clues from actual editions of America's favorite quiz show. As always, mind the date CATEGORY: CULTURE, IN THE POPULAR SENSE - $400 - Last Monday It's something many use every day to unlock things online & the nickname of Red Sox prospect Jhostynxon Garcia. — Answer below The Top 5 Top 5 Boston Sports Beards of this century In honor of David Andrews' retirement: 5 - Johnny Damon 4 - Jaylen Brown Advertisement 3 - Zdeno Chara 2 - David Andrews 1 - Jonny Gomes/Mike Napoli tied Today in Boston Sports History June 6 1944 — Since it's the 81st anniversary of D-Day. I'm straying from Boston sports for the day to mention that Yogi Berra (Navy) and golfing legend Bobby Jones (Army) each took part in the Normandy invasion. Civil rights activist Medgar Evers was also part of the history changing assault on the French beaches that day. Star Trek and Star Wars came together too. James Doohan (Scotty) and Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi) were part of the Canadian Army and British Royal Navy, respectively. Lightning round Thunder in 5, Oilers in 7. The Red Sox being lousy when they tried to be good is worse than being lousy when they didn't invest. WWE is doing some great build-up for Trump vs. Musk at Summer Slam. 'Sinners' was terrific and might have one of the coolest movie scores I've ever heard. Nic Enright coming back from cancer to make it to the major leagues is one of the reasons we love sports. It's fun to watch the ball jump off of Blaze Jordan's bat. The Bruins didn't get enough for Brad Marchand, but pushing that pick back a few years was actually smart. The Panthers are aging. They're better off if it gets pushed to 2028 and isn't Top 10 protected. Real Jeopardy! Question: What is Password? Headline Crystal Ball: Sunday: Last week: I was on vacation from work and on vacation from being wrong in my predictive headlines. Finally... If you need me, I'll be at Bear's BBQ. Read the original article on MassLive.
