Marco Sturm made one thing clear in his first press conference as head coach of the Boston Bruins — job security, including in net, will be earned.
“I can tell you this, it doesn’t matter if it’s a goalie or a player,” Sturm said during an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz” radio show Tuesday. “The player always dictates — always — how many minutes he’s going to play, how many games he’s going to play, if he’s going to get scratched or not.
“The player dictates. It’s easy on me. If he doesn’t play well, then hey, we have another player or another goalie or whatever it is. So, that’s how I am.”
That message lands squarely on Jeremy Swayman, who enters a pivotal season after a mixed 2024-25 campaign. The Bruins missed the postseason for the first time since 2016, finishing 33-39-10 and sinking to the fifth-worst record in the NHL. It was a team-wide setback, and Swayman didn’t shy from acknowledging it.
“I can’t really pinpoint it,” he said during exit interviews, as transcribed by Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “You see the history of the league and how teams go through the ups and downs, and that’s the first time Boston has had that. It’s something we learn from, and we’re fortunate to learn from it. But moving forward, that’s not our standard.”
Story continues below advertisement
Swayman stressed the Bruins will return with urgency — and pride.
“Our standard is much higher than what we had this year. That’s something that guys will come back with, a vengeance and have a chip on our shoulders,” Swayman said. “That’s something we’re excited about.”
The encouraging sign? Swayman’s winning form doesn’t appear to have gone far. In May, he backstopped Team USA to a historic gold at the IIHF Men’s World Championship, going 7-0 with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. His 25-save shutout in the 1-0 overtime win over Switzerland secured the country’s first gold medal in 91 years.
Story continues below advertisement
Sturm is giving everyone a clean slate — but he’s also made it clear: excellence is the only expectation.
Featured image via Timothy T. Ludwig/Imagn Images
