What challenges does Marco Sturm face as head coach of the Boston Bruins?

What challenges does Marco Sturm face as head coach of the Boston Bruins?

all right we’re joined by Bob Beers from 985 the Sports Hub the radio analyst for Boston Bruins hockey i should say longtime radio analyst as he called the games of Marco Sturm when he was a member of the Boston Bruins when Stern played here uh for five years beers what were your thoughts when you you know we kind of saw this coming a little bit but what your thoughts on Marco Stern being named the next coach of the Boston Bruins yeah certainly a lot of rumors here recently it started to heat up a little bit more there was a few names that were out there but Sterm’s name seemed to seem to be the one that was constant for a while here so um look Mark’s got he doesn’t have any head coaching experience in the NHL he does certainly at the international level and the American Hockey League level so um you know we’ve seen coaches make that step you know when it’s time uh make that step into the NHL and have a real impact and that’s certainly what they’re hoping and you know as far as his style or as far as his uh his thoughts you know in terms of how to build a team you know that still remains to be seen i think the press conference next Tuesday we’ll get a better indication then of uh you know what his vision is for a team well it sounds like in reading the press release and statements from Don Sweeney and uh Marco Sturm defense is going to be a big part of that and I would think if you look as you can tell us uh this team from the back end out is basically the what it looks like to be the best part of the team on paper well we certainly thought that going into the season last year and it was not the case um and actually cost Jim Montgomery his job i mean early in the season they just they were not good defensively there was there were a lot of holes in their defensive game you know I think Jeremy Swayman would admit he wants to have a better season here moving forward he’s got the contract now and he can concentrate on just playing hockey he had a really good World Championships which is a a nice sign for the Brewers defensively as a whole I think that they still have to add on that back end i don’t think that they’re prepared right now to go into the season with maybe the guys the six or seven guys that they had in last year’s lineup that that’s going to be your lockdown defense now they were in fairness they were missing Hampus Lindhol and Charlie Makavoy for for the better part of that you know late in the season so those are two big boosts coming back into the lineup i still think that there are a couple holes that they want to fill and we’ll see how they do that whether it’s in free agency or trades um or or college so that that’s that’s still an area when we just talk about when you talk about team defense so it’s it’s everybody playing together as a unit that that just was not the case for too many parts of last season there were there were times where they played well they were connected as a as a fiveman group and their goalending but too many times way too many times they were not connected as a as a unit defensively and that that definitely has to improve you’re we’re around players all the time of when you’re you know doing your job obviously uh when you were around Marco was any any inkling uh that he might be a head coach someday you know it’s it’s hard some we we we do this exercise once in a while when you sit around and you know you’re talking about players you say “Which player on the team do you think would be a really good head coach you know like Chris Kelly was a guy that I think was a natural that would jump out he’s the assistant one of the assistant coaches uh when he played.” But I I for Mark he was he was a pretty quiet guy um lowmaintenance uh did his job did it well i know that he’ll forever be linked to the Joe Thoron trade but he was the guy that really panned out for him throughout that trade he played well he scored some huge goals um big one against Montreal that I remember a big one uh he scored the OT winner uh at Fenway Park uh against Philadelphia Flyers the outdoor game there so I mean a lot of things kind of stand out for him did I see him being a coach that that was kind of hard to tell back then but he’s certainly now paid his dues and and and done a good job where he’s been with knowing Don Sweeney and Cam Neil and having gone through coaches now what do you think they want in this next head coach Marco Sturm well I I think there’s always an accountability factor i I think that that’s got to be high up on their list you know make sure that that players are held accountable for you know how they play i I think that you know and you talk about the Bruins way of wanting to play a lot of teams playing with pace now you have teams that be physical but I I think we go back to that what we we just talked about earlier that I think the strength of the team has to be the team defense and then you build your goal scoring from that so uh if if that’s any indication I I think Don Sween preaches that and talks about that a lot that’s why last year was just so disappointing in the way that they defended uh all season long or most of the season so I I would think that that’s going to be number one on the list you know can you do it with the players who finished out last season no I I I don’t think so there has to be some some massive improvements to a few different areas whether it be defenseman or forwards and then you also have to have the players in your lineup have to perform better you know they got rid of some key players and some some popular players out of their lineup you know we’re watching one of them play right now we’re watching two of them play right now right in the finals um but you know Carlo Coyle you know guys like that so those are popular guys in the locker room so replacing them is not easy but that’s something that they’ve you know they’ve have a challenge now to to make sure that they get good people in place and good players in place and and you know let’s face it the group they had at the end of last season you know you can’t move forward with that group it has to be something better what do you think the biggest challenge will be for Stro uh well I think I think it was important first of all for him to be named before the draft and before free agency starts so draft coming up at the end of the month free agency starts I believe July one so it’s important for that piece to be be there so that if you’re trying to bring free agents in um you’ve got your coach in place you know you’re not a free agent coming in and you don’t you don’t know who you know the coach is going to be that’s tough to commit long term to a to a team and an organization that doesn’t even have a coach yet so that was important first of all but for his challenges um first of all getting to know players you know he hasn’t he he’s been in the NHL a little bit as an assistant now it’s been more in the American Hockey League getting to know his players uh getting on the same page with some of the leaders the leadership took a big hit with with Brad Marshian going out the door let’s face it uh you know and they’ve had good leadership here for several years now who’s going to be that leader who’s going to be the guy that that steps up so I think establishing that leadership group you got you have a pretty good idea who it’s going to be but establishing a good uh rapport with your leadership group and then um and and getting everybody on the same page and quick I didn’t like their training camp last year uh I thought it was a little disjointed they talked about that as well now they’re moving forward that they can learn from some of their mistakes possibly as they move forward and I think uh that him getting in getting to work you know right away is is going to be so important because of where they finished last year it was a huge disappointment lastly Bri does it matter if he’s played here at all to you uh no I don’t think so um you know we we’ve had coaches how many coaches here in the last little while that they have played here so it’s I I think I think it’s good for him to know the city and be comfortable in the city but I I don’t think it’s overly important that he did play here um he had some good success here when he played so that’s that’s a positive um but coaching is a whole different animal right and they’ve got a they got a a spot I believe to replace on the assistant coaches as well so I talk about having a rapport with the players but you also have to have a rapport with the with your assistants whether these guys whether the guys that are there stay in place or whether they make changes in that department you know that still remains to be seen well Beer thanks for taking a few minutes out know you’re busy i know you got to hit them straight so uh appreciate you taking a few minutes thank you all right thanks Roachi

WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche talks with Bruins radio analyst Bob Beers to discuss Marco Sturm being hired as the team’s new head coach. What will Boston’s identity be under Sturm, and what challenges will he face in his first year as an NHL head coach? Beers also touches on what Don Sweeney and Cam Neely need to do this offseason to put Sturm in the team in the best spot to succeed.