Marco Sturm ‘Empowered’ Bruins in First Season

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Marco Sturm, a first-time coach in the NHL, was hired on June 4, 2025, to be the guy to lead the Boston Bruins through their retool.

“First of all, I’m so happy to be back here.”

He entered as the fourth Bruins coach in the last five seasons. He was brought in to help establish a culture, connect with the youth, and integrate a new system.

“The ability for me to come to work every day with a smile, it can’t get any better. I think that’s how I felt all year long, even the ups and downs. Because again, because of the people around me, the coaches, the staff, the players, everyone bought in. And I think to see that as a coach, as an individual, and to feel that every day, it’s freaking amazing, right? And that’s why I love every minute,” Sturm said after the Bruins’ final playoff game. “I know it’s a tough league. I know not every season is the same, too. So I was trying to enjoy it as much as I can.”

On breakup day, many players mentioned “buying in” to Marco Sturm’s system and credited him for some individual bounce-back seasons.

“Having a guy who played and understands what we’re going through and also being a coach and being hard on guys as well, I think it’s a hard balance to have and a hard line to walk,” Casey Mittelstadt said on breakup day. “I think he did a great job of it. I was very impressed with that. And you know, I think he really empowered us. And me personally, after probably a tough year the year before, empowered me to kind of bounce back and [that] stuck with me.”

Viktor Arvidsson, who had a previous history with Sturm, said he “had huge confidence” in the head coach.

The hiring followed a two-year contract extension for GM Don Sweeney, aligning the two to keep a stable front office as Sturm entered his first year at the helm.

“The one thing I like about [working with Sweeney] is I’m always involved,” Sturm said. “For example, in LA, it was not always that same way. What I mean is [that] by free agency and at the draft, I was at the table and communicated with the scouts. So I felt involved right away, and that’s why maybe certain players ended up in Boston.”