Marco Sturm’s Insight To Bruins ‘Passionate’ Fans Bodes Well For Boston
Marco Sturm was a key member of the Boston Bruins during the franchise’s resurgence in the late 2000s.
When he was traded to the Black and Gold for Joe Thornton in the 2005-06 season, the Bruins were struggling in the first campaign following the labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the 2004-05 season.
The Bruins finished fifth in the Northeast Division and missed the playoffs with an overall record of 29-37-16. The following season, Boston signed Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard in free agency, giving the fan base hope for the future. The hope became reality when the Original Six franchise returned to the postseason in the 2007-08 campaign.
“The timing was very critical. I was in the Joe Thornton trade, so that year we were just not very good,” Sturm recalled of his time in Boston as a player, per the club. “But we got out and signed guys like Chara and Savard and added lots of good pieces. (Patrice) Bergeron became better and better. The timing was great because every year, you could see us grow.”
One of Sturm’s biggest moments donning the Spoked-B came in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals against Boston rival Montreal Canadiens. The speedy forward not only knocked Roman Hamrlík off the puck twice, but he also scored the game-winning goal to force Game 7.
Sturm said he could feel the change in the Black and Gold faithful’s support of the team as the Bruins became a more cohesive and successful team.
“As soon as the people here and the fans here in Boston see it … when they feel it, they’re all for it,” he said. “I think that’s what happened here. We put in the hard work — and toughness … that came, too, with (Milan) Lucic and (Andrew) Ference and (Shawn) Thornton. It was a fun time.”
Having success as a player in Boston is something Sturm hopes translates as he takes over behind the bench for the upcoming season. He knows that if the team is performing well, the Bruins fans will be all in.
“The people and the fans here are so passionate, I have a lot of respect for that,” Sturm said. “They let you know if you’re not playing well, but I also know they are behind you when things are going well. For me, it’s all about being up to us to get back to playing to our identity and our culture.
“At the end of the day, that’s what the people want to see. Do we all want to win? Absolutely, we all want to win. Again, this is something I’m going to start right from Day 1, to create the standards again like it should be.
“It’s not going to just happen overnight. We have to be patient, and we’ve got a lot of work to do — we know that. But if everyone buys in, I think we’re going to be fine.”