Marco Sturm introduced as Boston Bruins head coach; shares his vision and goals for team

Marco Sturm introduced as Boston Bruins head coach; shares his vision and goals for team

without further ado I am very proud and pleased to announce Marco Sturm as the 30th head coach of the Boston Bron [Applause] Marco go ahead Yeah Yeah Good morning good afternoon I don’t know what’s going on anymore right Um but I’m yeah I’m I’m extremely proud and excited uh to be here obviously um to get named um the 30th um head coach of the Boston Bruins I mean that alone just to say it it it it really gets me excited Um first of all I I want to say thank you to the Jacobs family um to Don Sweeney and to Cam Neely Uh I mean it’s I’m very honored um uh to take this team to the next level All right But I also want to say thank you to the to the Los Angeles Kings organization Um what a classy organization that is I can tell you Um especially Rob Blake and Glenn Murray Uh those two guys uh brought me back to the NHL and so that means a lot Uh also my Ontario Rain guys Um we built something there together there for the last three years So I will never forget that Well unfortunately he’s not here today but my agent Gil Scott he guided me guided me through uh through the process very smoothly So I just want to say thank you to that Um and most importantly my family Um you know it it’s it was not easy A lot of guys a lot of people don’t know I was by myself in LA for the last uh six years and uh because I was chasing my dream right And without my family I couldn’t done it Um quick story they’ve been bugging me for a while to get a place in Boston right They always wanted they grew up here My kids grew up here They always wanted to come back Um and and here I am right now They got their wish So um so but I thank you for your love and support through all these years And uh I’m also very excited to see Bergie again Um uh Patrice Bjani came up today So thank you for coming and supporting me Um you know going through the process I had a a little taste last year for the first time with the Sharks uh and then this year a few more But I’m going to tell you this Um when I when I saw Don Sweeny’s uh um name on on my text it was pretty special Uh it got me really really excited right And of course I you know I I want to be an NHL coach but this this this means more All right Uh and why I think there’s a few reasons Um I I think the the identity and and Don was talking about the the culture we we built here uh 20 years ago It’s still here All right The the the style um and all that the the winning mindset um we had I think that’s something just get gets me really excited and and that’s what I believe in Um I also uh I also think uh you know working with uh especially with Don and and and and Cam on a regular basis because I know they’re going to they’re going to push uh they’re going to push me hard All right We want to lead by example every day So um so for that I’m really looking forward to to yeah to push also the team to the next uh to the next level as well All right So to wrap things up um I think last lastly is we need all we need everyone together here right That means it’s going to be up to to me and my coaching staff Um it’s going to be up to to my players It’s going to be up to management and also up to to the fans of the Boston Bruins Um and again uh I got such a good memories here and I and I know the fans will definitely soon as they feel it that there’s something good happening here they will support you I know that Um kind of goes the other way too but I don’t want to talk about that I want to look forward and that’s our goal That’s going to be our goal I know we got work to do Uh we have lots of work to do I know that we not not going to fix it overnight but we going to we going to prepare uh starting uh day one in at training camp because I believe in teams win championship not one coach not one player So thank you very much and thanks for having me Thank you Marco and congratulations Now it’s time to open up for our Q&A portion of today’s availability Uh we have two wireless mics uh Annie and Hannah uh please signal when it is your turn to ask a question I do ask that you uh state your name and your affiliation and also direct your question to either Marco or Don Um with that we’ll start with Steve Conroy Steve Conroy Boston Herald Uh Marco when you look at this roster and I realize it could be a little different you know a month from now but where do you see the biggest challenges in this roster Yeah I mean I’m not going to lie Uh you know I think that the process already started uh last season at the trading deadline right There will be some changes and uh again but I what I like is and I I I told Don and Cam that I still love our team even without any addition right Because we I think we have good culting I think when everyone stays healthy we have a really good D core right Um I think we we we hopefully want to add a few pieces up front but overall I I do like our core Uh but having said that I I think depthwise we just probably need a little bit more And uh I think in our DNA in the Brun DNA uh playing good defensively it’s it’s it’s not going to change but we have to find a way to to to be more productive offensively I think that’s that’s going to be uh our goal and uh not sure challenge but that that’s what we’re going to address from from day one and and obviously uh uh special teams will be a big part too Jim Jim McBride Boston Globe Uh Marco during your playing career was there a point in time when you thought coaching was going to be in your future And was there a coach that was particularly molded how you wanted to to be Yeah know the the coaching part I think it it actually kicked in probably when I was done um playing Um I wanted to spend more time with my family and that didn’t work out Um but you know I started with my kids and then I was with with my the German national team and that’s where I really realized this is actually me and that’s where I have passion for that’s where I’m good at and and then took off it took off uh after that So uh so during my playing time I actually uh not really I never even thought about um being a coach one day Uh Joe Hagerty Boston Sports Journal Marco welcome back to Boston Uh you talked about building that culture 20 years ago your group that you were with How do you define that culture that you built What were the qualities of it What do you think are the most important things in a winning culture uh for a hockey team that you’ve found since you’ve been a coach and also when you were as a player Yeah I always called it the heartbeat of the locker room right And that has to come from from the guys inside And again um I’ve been through it right I’ve been through it because I was part of it And uh having guys like Bergie and and Z and myself and and we added pieces pieces pieces after that that that changed everything And for me it started right at practice you know little things like that the way we prepared the way we competed um every day it doesn’t matter if it’s practice or game that for me changed the whole thing right away just by doing that I think our our mindset I was talking about that winning hockey games not just going into hockey games and play the game No we actually want to win We do everything about it And again it just it it trickled down And that’s why for me it’s so important that um uh that the core guys got to lead right And and I’m going to tell you this I I already talked to uh bunch of guys all my my my veterans uh on on the current team right now and I can tell right away they learn from the berseron they learn from the from the charter because they already have it in there and that that that really got me excited too and I know uh we just got to guide them again and and and again we got to reestablish the whole thing because these guys are not here anymore So now it’s it’s going to be up to us and the new group to lead this group uh to a new era Adam Marco Adam Pelerin from Nessen Uh congratulations first off Uh secondly uh what were your impressions of Boston as a player specifically the fan base and how can that understanding help you uh as you start your tenure as head coach I I already touched on it a little bit So when I got traded uh to to Thornton trade I mean it was not my fault right Uh but I I got here and it was difficult I’m not going to lie It was difficult Um because uh everyone loved Joe and uh it was a big trade but I understood really quickly why it happened And also you know we had we had guys in the locker room uh you know they wanted they wanted them to lead So so I saw that that year or two Um it was a little painful right it was not easy um I mean soon as you you know you read the paper or social media or even you go on the street people will let you know right uh but also it will pushes you and that’s what I I I saw the positive way um and then I mentioned it before uh the years after that uh especially when Clo took over you could see the proc process right you could see every year how we got and all of a sudden I see a big big change here uh in the city of Boston Uh because they’re behind you and that feeling alone you know I still it feels like yesterday to me and that’s exactly what I I want to bring back All right forget about winning and losing Yes we have to win I know that All right But even when there were tough stretches um you know tough games uh you know that that feeling and hopefully the the the the fans and the city of Boston will feel it every time they’re going to watch us play All right We got to compete We going to be structured I can tell you that But we also got to compete and make everyone proud Matt Don uh Matt Poour Mass Live uh for you when you’re going through this process how much are you thinking about you have a plan for how the roster construction is going to ha happen this summer and looking for a coach that fits that or or is it is there a flip of that you’re looking at Marco comes in and how can you build a roster that that fits his strength and how much does he play a role from here forward in in helping helping you kind of get a feel for what what you want the roster to look like Well we uh we went through the coaching search fully understanding that we were not the same team we had been previously and what we’re not going to be you know by the time the season opens The personnel side of it is a little more hypothetical You’re talking about uh potentially younger players uh where a coach might see them They’re not familiar with those players So we’re not overselling We are leaving it as an open canvas to have an open and honest dialogue to say these guys are part of a solution but they may not be on your opening roster You have to decide that So the coaching philosophies were really about coach how do you want to coach What are the styles of players that that might fit that and the structure you want to play with and how do we complement How do we evolve Um and move our roster forward You know our pro staff has to do the work required our our scouts in terms of the draft maybe not this year but moving forward This is about a growth opportunity for the for the organization as well And Marco’s a big part of that moving forward now So we will reshape again He’s not a player personnel guy He’s he’s got the tools to take He’s been part of player development So he knows that path and what it takes to to make those steps So he can challenge whoever it’s going to be Pick a player whether it’s whether it’s Minton it doesn’t matter Take that player in those situations he’s learned from whether it’s over in Germany or whether it’s in in in actually implementing in LA and then stepping back to see them take the jump So that was more about the process of how we’re going to get there But it was always about the coaching It was always about how you’re going to coach how you want to change how we’re going to play and what our identity is going to be Marco congratulations Duke Leone from WCVP here in Boston Uh you mentioned when you came over in the trade the Joe Thornton trade it wasn’t and you guys were going through a transition period rebuilding Can you draw on those experiences now as a head coach as you guys obviously you referenced the trades of the deadline and you’re transitioning here as well Yeah No and it helps again going being in that locker room you know that that I think that even helps even more because I I felt it every day Uh the good and bad Um again I I mentioned it before it took a little bit of time but long as you know I think we we we knew we I got traded but we going to win the cup right and it was just a matter of time because we were pushing so hard uh you know um when I got to LA almost similar situation now I’ve been through it as a coach right uh but you know we still had the copitar and and and the quick and the brown and these guys so you know I’ve been through it as a as a player I’ve been through it as a as a coach too u be part of it and I think those you know those big moments actually those help me a lot because You know a lot of times I go by feel all right nothing is you know there’s a lot of things it’s planned yes of course but a a lot of things what I do it’s just because the experience I had in the past and those are those moments what will help me a lot Kevin Dupont Boston Globe Marco congratulations I’ll come back later with a question but Don I’ve got a couple for you first one about the process and then one about the team uh process being during the sort of vetting and interviewing Was there one thing or one uh principle that Marco expressed that really caught your ear that not necessarily convinced you but separated him I don’t think it was any one thing Kevin to be honest with you uh as we were going through the process you know you could see that that Marco would get more passionate not just because he was a player here really that that drifted off into the into the background pretty quickly Um 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 Talking to to uh his players talking to his staff that he interacted with on a daily basis at the NHL level at the American League level and realizing that this was his path that he had chosen and and wanted to be a head coach and that kept resonating in terms of how we are where we are now and him being part of reestablishing what we want to be I think they go hand in hand As I said there’s structure there’s communication there’s a reestablishment of culture Um knowing offensively he was an offensive player Um trying to convince an offensive player that has gaps in his games that you can’t get to the NHL until you do both sides of the ledger You know there’s a there’s a reward there and knowing a player going through that convincing a player to go through that and then seeing him at the NHL level have success that’s rewarding to Marco because he’s been on that path So all those things you know were resonating with with me in the hiring throughout the hiring process and keep going back each time you have that the the conversation which probably drifts longer than he wants to to to have but again the passion comes out in terms of how he wants to to take your roster as it is now and how we’re going to build and uh and be better as a result of it And one other about about just coaching in general or coaching specific to what you’ve watched here for the last say two or three years Marco is very deliberate about the assistants really putting in a lot of work showing up early spending the day putting in the hours I’m just wondering from watching your team daytoday these last two to three years not necessarily a specific assistant here but just in terms of how much the team has worked in terms of practice and preparation Was that something on your list you wanted more I mean there’s no way we can indict the staff that that’s been part of the organization that I’ve been for 10 years That the staff works hard Are there details that Marco is going to bring Is it a fresh approach and a and a new voice Yeah undoubtedly that’s going to help our club Um and we are going to we’re going to grow from that So I think everybody benefits Now if the head coach beats you to the rink every morning as as a staff member it probably wakes you up and realize that that you know the grind is here and we’re going to put the hours in that are necessary But it’s also part of the fun process that he’s going to introduce because he knows that there are moments that you got to cut tension and you have to understand like you step away and uh and you build from that as well There are perfect opportunities for him now to take a leadership group that needs to be reestablished um make a decision eventually organizationally as a captain and they get to build it together That’s a fun part of the process that we spoke about and he’s excited about that and I think the players that he’s spoken to are also excited about that I’m going to sorry on your first question I’m going to going to follow up on that The one thing I didn’t mention was and Don said it perfectly the other day timing is everything right And again yes I wanted I wanted to be a NHL coach guaranteed But also I looked at some teams and I know that wouldn’t be probably a good fit And there’s a reason why I took my time right because I didn’t want to take my first opportunity and just go for it No I wanted to be prepared and yes uh I always wanted to come back here obviously but I I think the timing of it uh was just perfect right Um I mean selfishly I’m glad uh you know um we didn’t the Bruins didn’t play well last year because otherwise I wouldn’t be here Let’s be honest right But again timing is everything and and where we at right now as a team that’s that’s me right This is my strength And we we went through all the the things already and and pointed out all those all those uh points But again that that on top of it and I agree it has nothing to do I played it or not This this this for me in my in in my world uh this was the perfect fit And there’s not Yeah there’s a few more teams probably in the league I would say the same thing but overall this this was it And uh and that’s and that was just another thing on my on my thing I I I thought the timing was was just right Trey Trey D Channel 7 here in Boston Marco congratulations Welcome as well Kind of a bit of a followup on on what you just said The the standings are what they are This is a team that was fifth from the bottom of the NHL So how do you view the job in terms of the process or the construct of a rebuild against the pressure of trying to win now Yeah I’m I’m a guy who um I’m not going to look too much ahead I will be honest You know sometimes I just go uh day by day or game by game And and for me the most important thing is right now going through my uh uh my coaching staff for example and we have the draft I have a few things going on coming up the development camp and and then it’s all about business right And for me I’m going to prepare for training camp day one And that for me it’s going to I’m going to set the tone there and we going to set the tone as a team and as an organ organization and and that’s all what I’m thinking right now I really I’m very honest So because I know um when we do that the right way things will it will be fine All right It will be positive But again we got to put in the work in first We got to build that foundation again uh from the bottom And I’m not going to just going to look ahead for for something I I just can’t control right now So again um this is my focus right now Uh get to know the players build that relationship um getting everyone on the same page and get them excited again to wear this jersey uh every night Fudo uh Futoo Shenzawa the athletic Marco Welcome back Um one for for you and one for Don If you look at your time in Ontario the three years that you spent there you were able to get to the playoffs You’re able to get guys up to LA What What are you most proud of in terms of your accomplishments in helping Ontario those three years you know I mean you know learning from especially from a guy like Todd Mlan I mean it was for me it was a the perfect fit the perfect coach to learn from you know then going back to the miners and and you got to understand sometimes I say uh uh yeah now I’m ready or you can hear Marco is ready But you got to know uh I I I probably knew the the the onai stuff right I knew it as a player a coach I seen a lot and now goting a lot of information from Todd and how he runs how he prepares So that’s something I I think I I I wanted to get better at and I needed someone I would say to guide me through it and that’s exactly what happened and that’s why uh the minor league that’s why those years kick in right Because I had a chance to to put it all together All right To put it all together and and uh Yeah No And again after two years I I felt like it’s time right And uh um I said it before I had a little taste with San Jose last year and and definitely this year you know you learn from th those kind of years being ahead Um being controlled being charged every night and uh and and those years were so important for me All right And that’s why I I I’m glad I did it that way And then one for Don uh approximately how many people did you speak to in terms of the the process Uh I believe the process started out I think the number was 14 that I started with Um again some of them were initial conversations but there was always one or two so probably about 14 So I’m sure you heard lots of interesting concepts hockey-wise from all these folks that have spent so many years in the game But then in your your conversations with Marco in your presentations if you look specifically at the hockey side was there something that he said that made you think “Oh that’s interesting I’ I’d like to see that come come alive in person.” Um I don’t think it was any one thing Um obviously we didn’t spend a lot of time on the gaps in our roster to tell you the truth we spent a lot more time on the struct on the strength of of of returning to full health and the core group of guys that we have and what we’re capable of doing Um evolving offensively was certainly a topic that that we had a lot of discussion about how we want to play and how we want to forche and and why we’re going to do things uh you know why he believes in coaching wise and how it’s going to transition to our game for results and uh it wasn’t just about how we were going to defend um the structure part that that reference-wise was all over the ice and understanding what your your responsibilities in any one uh capacity as a player are going to be and effectively communicating and convincing your players that that’s why you’re going to have success Those things all just continue to resonate whether you’re youngest player or the oldest player um didn’t differentiate in terms of whether he you know the NHL level talking to Copitar or whether or not at the minor league level you know convincing Biffield and and Clark that that they have to do things this way So I think it was just the philosophical approach of how we’re going to play regardless of the player You can plug and play any player Maybe it’s because you you know you do get traded and realize you end up somewhere else and you have to now become a player within that system um and effectively uh play to your strengths but also within the confines of what the the constructs of what the coach is is trying to get you to do His command of of the situations regardless we took our video and and and applied some situations that how would you do things differently in these situations and uh and convinced the players that that’s why we were going to do it Um so there wasn’t really any gaps in terms of what his command was as a coach and that that those things always spoke to me but it wasn’t strictly about defending Uh it was it was about evolving as a as a as a club Evan Oh Scott Sorry Scott McGloin WEI Uh Marco congratulations One for each of you if I could Uh first from Marco we’ve now heard evolving offensively several times When you get this team playing the way you want them to play what does that look like for you I mean there’s there’s different ways to approach things I I think uh when I talk about you know we want to score more goals score scoring more goals is not just in the offensive zone Uh yes yes we’re that’s where the the puck going to going to end up but for me it all starts you know how we going to get there you know So that that that’s a big part too you know not just focusing on one area Um I think there’s different areas in the game where we can definitely get better It’s coming up with the puck We want to have the puck more Uh we got to have better entries for example not turn pucks over I think that that part was a was a big issue and uh and the offensive zone Yeah I mean we got to build that structure in place right Uh but we also got to be more hungry and we have a we got to have a better mindset So there’s there’s not just one thing There’s overall there’s a bunch of other things I think we just have to get better at And uh and again uh I I want them to have that offensive mindset and the mentality uh when we have the puck right We want to play with pace with and without the puck And uh I think not just think again We just want to play the game fast and uh and yeah it’s not going to happen overnight but that’s something I will address right away Um um uh as soon as possible And for Don uh the power play was an issue all of last season and even late the season before Do you feel like you have the personnel and staff to fix that or could there still be an addition of you know fresh set of eyes to look at that Well to follow up on on uh finishing up Marco’s point some of the things that resonate were were to be predict predictable to each other uh and be connected and that’s all three zones It lends into the power play One of the things we struggled with organizationally was we had four of five personnel returning from the year before where we were arguably we were top 10 most of the year and towards the end of the year before we went to the playoffs we stumbled a little bit and fell to like 13 or 14 in the league We we were brought back four of the same five We added players in Lindholm who had been a bumper player in Calgary and had success there and we sunk to 28th in the league A lot of it was the entries A lot of it with some of the injuries that we did but those are no excuses We have to find a way to be more connected more predictable and understand what our our uh our strengths are as a group And we spent a lot of time on it Now the personnel of that could change between now and uh and opening night but there are some guys that that are going to go in and have to execute that are currently on our roster And we’re going to we’re going to attack that And it’s something that Marco spent time on and have an understanding of what we need to do Broke down And obviously I heard from different teams in terms of how they’re going to do things and entries were a big problem for us Um execution wise you know we had passed on the elbow and then moved over to the downhill So he’s explaining to me how that’s going to go you know and uh and and putting personnel in situations that we can succeed as a result of that So there was a lot of a lot of time spent on on addressing specialy teams overall because it had been a strength of our hockey club for a lot of years and and we took a significant step back this year Marco congratulations Angel Salceto WCVB Don this question is for you You guys have a substantial amount of draft capital going into this year What kind of collaborative process are you going to kick off with Marco now that this is finally he’s introduced process is finalized what’s next for the team I haven’t met a coach that worries too much about draft capital other than if you’re going to use it to improve his current club Um that’ll always be a recommendation of a coach I’m not speaking for Marco I’m assuming he’ll validate it but um it’s always going to be about what’s best for the organization You know we’re in a unique position this year drafting in the top 10 um that we haven’t been there for a significant amount of time We’re excited about that Uh we have two second round picks You have two first following year two first We’ve been an aggressive organization Um whether or not you want to point out fault in regards to to to trying to win and accomplish the ultimate goal that’s what that’s what we’re here for So we will use the draft capital and and uh and try and improve our hockey club this year and moving forward in in every capacity possible It might mean making the selection but it it won’t mean that we aren’t having conversations that says how do we improve our hockey club today and moving forward Evan Marinowski New England Hockey Journal Don Joe Sacko’s off to New York Uh are Chris Kelly and Jay Leech returning next season I want to congratulate Joe and and thank Joe 11 years is a long time to be with organization and work with several different head coaches and he did a fabulous job with us and wish he and Tammy and his family well in New York Um a lot of conversations about staff uh between Marco and myself Uh he’s excited that Jay and uh Chris Kelly um Bob Asenz are all returning u to be part of that We are in a search um for a another assistant coach that can complement and and fill in the gaps that we may currently have So we’re aggressively looking for somebody to help uh you know in an area that we feel we need to to to to complement Marco and the current staff Uh in the back Ian Steel ABC6 Providence Marco welcome back Um taking your first NHL head coaching job in Boston seems like a challenge How do you make up for the lack of NHL head coaching experience Yeah I know I mean every job it doesn’t matter if you’re in Boston or not it will be a challenge but but it’s a good challenge I love challenges And again that goes back to my my playing days and and nothing really changed um uh coaching wise too I I I I approached things the same way And and and I want to get to get challenged right I want to get challenge from from from Dawn every day uh from my coaches from my players because I know that will make me better right So I I know the expectation here I know how it is But uh again long as I’m I’m putting more my work in and my preparation I know I will be in good shape And uh again that’s something I never really thought about and worried about And and that’s why that’s why I made it maybe I made it that far too So it’s a it’s it’s it’s part of it You know you got to be mentally strong and uh and um and that’s what I tried to do through these years And uh that’s what I will try to give to my players You know same thing you know he can’t overreact He can’t I know these guys care I really do Uh but sometimes there’s times you have to settle them down too and put him uh uh in the right path here and uh and but I think that that makes me unique and uh and uh that’s the same way I will approach it again uh uh going into my my first year Uh Chad Jones Black and Gold Productions Uh Marco so as a former NHL player yourself were there any specific attitudes or styles of coaching that you thought you responded to better as a player that you would want to bring into this Bruins locker room Yeah Know I mean again I I going through a lot of teams uh you want to have your favorites um um coaches teams teammates whatever it is Um I I thought the the the the oldest style uh the old generation with Daryl Sutter and and Claude Julian were by far for me the um the best coaches I ever had Uh why Because they were very honest to me very direct even if I like it or not Um but also you got to understand things change right Um not everyone is the same Not every is Marco Sturm not everyone is Patrice Bjon Everyone is different And that’s the beauty about coaching right now is you can’t treat everyone the same way right So you got to have a good feel for it who to poke and who not And uh and uh again uh and that’s why I still like that mix in our locker room right Um because of like I mentioned from the older guys they still have that Bruins DNA I love it All right But there will be some other guys I I can’t treat those guys just like the older guys So again that’s where we at If you look around in the NHL the the the coaches are getting hired right now Um you know I feel like this is a little bit the the new trend here and and I’m one of them and uh I’m going to do my best to you know um get everyone on the same page and and get the most importantly get everything get the best out of everyone All right And this is this is will be my job Andrew Fantio Boston Hockey Now uh two questions one for Marco one for uh Don Marco first as a coach how do you see the best way to incorporate young players into becoming regulars of the NHL level Do you see room for them to be able to make mistakes when they first get in the lineup or do you want them to be more kind of complete full players by the time they’re ready to take on that role No of course they all we’re all going to make mistakes Old young it doesn’t matter and uh the longest you’re going to support him but you also got to be uh again you got to be very uh honest and direct with them You got to work with them and they they also have to learn from I feel like they going to learn from our core group from the older guys So and that’s why the whole thing is so important It’s not just me it’s it’s it’s the team right And they got to see it every day in practice for example They got to see how guys practice every day so the young guys can follow there There shouldn’t be any excuses All right And again it’s it’s an easy way out and a lot of guys take that route Uh and I just I’m just not one of them right And that’s why I address things uh very directly Uh because of again Aklo Julian uh Daryl Sutter those are guys I learned from and and by being honest I I think you come a long way But those young guys and Don said it they’re going to earn it too right Um uh I’m going to do everything in my power to to get them better Um but they also it’s it’s got to come from from from them too you know to jump on on that wagon and and and and and show me um that they’re willing to do all those things I I’m we wanted them to do And then Don I’m just curious throughout this process I’m sure you know you talk with people within the front office but were you checking in or whether it be at the end of year interviews with current players about what qualities they wanted in their next head coach and did that kind of influence your search at all Uh I mean I’ve had conversations you know year end wise in terms of of coaching search and uh understanding what players you know how they felt during the process I did not run a particular name or style by our players Um I think our players innately want to be coached Um they want to have an understanding of how they’re going to be coached and they want uh they value the same things we organizationally value communication respect and culture And uh you know it resonated in terms of how Marco was going to treat players how he’s going to communicate with players being very direct but supportive um at all levels of of where the players are in their development And uh therefore I felt very comfortable you know I wasn’t looking for validation from our players um in any way shape or form from deciding who the coach was going to be Um I want them to understand that Marco’s in charge and uh and we think we’ve picked a really good coach and they’re going to go to work Marco Kevin Dupont again Um I’m curious about the one uh position open on the sta coaching staff from a from a variety of areas You think more in terms of an old guy a young guy uh a special teams person uh a new guy or that spectrum of associate coach And lastly and be careful with this with your with your wife and daughter here would you consider a woman for that position Um to answer your question I’m look at I’m looking at everything right now You know the the experienced young it doesn’t matter I I think end of the day it’s got to be the right fit uh for me and um and also uh for the team Uh yes we want somebody who has uh um some power play experience right Uh I think um but again uh I’m looking at everything right now I’m in that process We we are in that process right now It’s uh it’s uh there’s a lot of coaches out there But I think I’m very confident that we going to find uh the right the right one who has who checks all those kind of boxes We need it And uh but again it’s not just one area It’s just it’s got to be a good fit too I think it’s going to be very very important that you know I got to be comfortable the team got to be comfortable Um because we we going to set the tone and we want to you know we we we got to come out uh pretty strong and and and very prepared and uh and the coaching staff um you know we going to be together every day So um you know we it’s a big hire for me Um but again um we’re going to take our time a little bit and and hopefully the right one will come Right Uh Bridget Prui Marco this one’s for you Uh a lot of Bruins fans are familiar with your time as a player here in Boston They’re not as familiar with your coaching career in the past you’ve had uh in the past few years What can Bruins fans expect from a Marco Sturm coach team Yeah I know it’s and again it’s it was very important for me that um you know my my first visit here even or my first interview um with the Bruins that I I think everyone knows me as a as a person Um but I also think everyone every coach has a certain switch right and the switch comes in when I enter the locker room Um not in a good bad way whatever because I love it All right I love hanging out I love going to work every day I love I love competing every day you know with with my team uh with my players and coaches Uh and that that was something I want to address I want to make sure that they know uh the other side of Marcus Durham right And uh and again I I I mentioned it before I I I’m I’m I’m very clear I would say uh the message the the meetings I have the messages I’m going to deliver um you know could be systemwise could be could be anything I I think it’s very very clear there will be no gray area Um we all going to work together Um and uh and the one thing is I you know I’m going to push those guys forward I hate losing and I’m very competitive um um on and off the ice and and that’s something yeah a lot of people don’t know um about Marco’s term So again um it’s not about me I know today it will be Uh that’s fine Maybe tomorrow too but um be honest I can’t wait to just go in the locker room and just work with my guys you know That’s what I love to do That’s what I want to do Um and I I I can’t wait for day one uh to see the the Bruins fans behind me and or behind us and and pushing us to the next level Joe uh Joe Hagerty Boston Sports Journal This one’s for Don Sweeney on obviously interviewed uh a bunch of candidates I’m sure you got lots of sort of outside opinions thoughts on your team the roster all that kind of stuff How uh useful for you of an exercise was that part of it And are there any things that stuck with you getting all of those sort of outside different hockey opinions just about the team the roster everything the way you play all that stuff Yeah Joe the process in that sense is uh it can be uncomfortable in terms of the critical eye that that other people are are uh watching your team and breaking down your team and and the changes they want to make Uh you have to be open to all of it You have to understand that that you know the position we’re in Um you know we didn’t execute both at the management level and the coaching level and the player level So we have to be open to that and the tweaks that uh that coaches want to to make It wasn’t about coming in to say well you know they’re selling me on on how they’re going to coach But if they oversell in terms of you know how the team was previously constructed or any of those things then then then it doesn’t really have its value And uh thankfully coaches came in and gave their honest opinion of how they wanted to see things Um the things you had done well the things you hadn’t done well the outside perspective that teams um have had for the Bruins organization over the years um and the changes that have gone well and haven’t gone well during those years and uh success or not having success So those are are eye opening at at times um and it’s constructive You have to take it to heart and and and make adjustments You know we’re not currently playing right now So you know you have to accept the failures that we have and coaches were honest in pointing that out you know Marco went through some of the things that that uh you know he felt that we had done well but things that we had gotten away from um and and where the league is at and where the league is headed to It’s all important parts of it and the player development part of it was was certainly uh a big part of those conversations and and how you do integrate the players and when they’re going to be ready and having connectivity with your your minor league program and uh and and how that relates to the development they’re doing there There were there were some very constructive things that that took place during the process that I’m I’m grateful for take our final question over here Uh Mike Mlin WBZ radio Marco Don said earlier that the game has evolved offensively and the team needs to do a better job about that with that Uh is has the team been too much physical not enough skating and passing Uh how do you address that Do you need new players Do you need to shake up the the pairings in the offensive line H how do you address that and and transform the offense of this team Yeah No I mean I don’t want to really talk about the past Just I mean of course I did my homework and I watched a lot of games and and and I’m going to address uh I even mentioned it what areas where we need to to get better But again I’m going to put a a system I already have my system kind of in my in my head I’m going to put a system in in in place where where players will have success right I want them not just um not just you know um just doing a noodle zone for example just because um um because that’s what I always did No I I I got to wait first to a little bit what what’s come comes out what kind of players I’m going to get and then I’m going to adjust to it you know So there’s different things I can tweak a little bit the overall I think the overall thing it it’s already in place but now I got to find out what kind of players I have and then and I’m going to react but uh end of the day and I said it before it’s I want everyone to have success and I’m going to uh work towards that and and and you know I’m going to practice that a lot I’m going to go through it I’m I’m going to show a lot It’s going to be a lot of meetings uh but again that’s why I think uh uh training camp is so important for us because all those little details all those structure and the foundation will take place there and and uh and that’s again that’s where we’re going to address to make those players better offensively How are we going to do it

The Boston Bruins formally introduced Marco Sturm as the 30th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday. Watch his full press conference where Sturm charts out his vision for the team, and GM Don Sweeney discusses how he landed on Sturm as the team’s next head coach.