It’s official: the Boston Bruins finally have an official head coach after many months of working under the interim coach Joe Sacco, who replaced Jim Montgomery when he was dismissed last November after a 20-game losing streak. Nothing much changed under Sacco, who could not bolster the team together in time for the playoffs, and for the first time since 2016. Well, now things are looking somewhat better for the team, with former Bruin himself, Marco Sturm, just being named the new head coach.

Sturm, a German national, does not have any NHL coaching history, though he did serve as the assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings between 2018 and 2022. In the final year of his run with the team, they secured their first playoff spot since 2018! In addition, Sturm coached the AHL’s Ontario Reign for three seasons, and in all those seasons they made the playoffs. Not to mention, he also has experience coaching the German Men’s National Team and was their coach when they won the silver medal in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Nonetheless, Marco Sturm hasn’t had any official head-coach NHL experience, and this is a rare and unique move on the part of Bruins GM Don Sweeney, who, let’s be honest, hasn’t made the most popular managerial decisions this year, starting with the Marchand trade earlier on in March. So as the Bruins watch their former captain play the Stanley Cup finals, what do Bruins fans feel about their new head coach?

Fans weigh in on Marco Sturm joining the Boston Bruins

The fans are divided, that’s for sure; some don’t think the whole thing will last very wrong. “Let’s see how long he’ll last with the bruins.” one fan wrote, adding, “With Don Sweeney as the gm and Cam Neely as the president he’ll be on a tight leash.” Considering Don Sweeney has made some very hard and fast decisions over the years, including the firing of a coach 2 years after he was hired, this one makes a lot of sense.

Other fans weren’t very happy about the decision and didn’t hold back their thought,“What a disgrace the Bruins management has become.” this fan wrote, adding, “Very sad for the Loyal Fan Base. Neely and Sweeney both need to be fired. What a joke this team has been since firing Monty.” It’s true, the very fact that the Bruins had to function under the guidance of an interim coach from last November to now, definitely doesn’t bode well for the management.

Still, some fans were genuinely happy. Presumably die-hard Bruins who remember Marco Sturm’s winning goal in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park “Welcome home, Marco! The B’s are in good hands with a familiar face behind the bench,” one fan wrote, clearly putting all their faith in nostalgia.

Still, there were some fans who were quite shocked with the nepotism, writing, “Bruins President, GM and coach are all former bruins?!?” and “Why, why, why another former bruin??? Can’t can and Don look outside their own bruins playpen for a coach” The fact that the team was unable to find someone who had NHL experience and who wasn’t a former Bruin begs the question: was the selection pool really that limited?

Finally, one fan pointed out the advertising gimmick the Bruins used to try and trick fans into thinking this was indeed the right choice. “Gotta love the winter classic shots adorning the top of the image.” The fan wrote, adding, “They’re not even hiding the fact that they are banking on nostalgia to try to earn goodwill with the fans that aren’t paying attention.” It may have helped Sweeney’s case had he hired a former Bruin that was known for more than that one winning goal in Fenway Park 15 years ago, but whether or not Sweeney can transform this team is yet to be seen!