Much like the LA Kings exit from postseason action, the end of Ontario’s AHL Calder Cup Playoff run lasted one short series. It was a bitter and abrupt halt to what many hoped would be an extended jaunt following their success — and somewhat unfinished business — from last year at this time.
Like everything in hockey, though, the world keeps moving on. That final game for the Reign came on April 26. In the weeks since, coach Marco Sturm has reportedly had the opportunity to interview for at least two head coaching jobs in the NHL — including with the Bruins and Canucks.
As is often the case, it appears there was one coach who was sort of holding up the line for most of the open jobs around the league. With Rick Tocchet also a candidate in Boston, Philadelphia, and Seattle, those situations needed to sort themselves out before considering other candidates. Now, with the Flyers expected to be his landing spot, dominos should start to fall in other markets rather quickly. For example, the Canucks struck quickly and are hiring Adam Foote to fill their open role.
Which brings us back to Sturm. Trust and familiarity are concepts that have been discussed quite a bit in Los Angeles over the past week, so it’s no surprise that there has been so much interest in potentially bringing the former Bruins forward home to Boston. They’re actively looking for somebody to guide their next generation of players from behind the bench. And with the 46-year-old veteran having played nearly 1,000 NHL games, including five seasons in Boston, many still remember him fondly throughout the New England area.
After hanging up his skates, Sturm turned to coaching. Many of his early ideas may have even been formed by his days as a player under well-respected bench bosses like Mike Sullivan, Claude Julien, and Darryl Sutter.
However, it was after Sturm’s stint coaching the German national team where Glen Murray — LA’s current Director of Player Development and his former Bruins teammate — recommend the Kings add Sturm to their staff. Four years later, he moved to the Reign, going from NHL assistant to AHL head coach.
One year ago, Sturm was a finalist for the open Sharks job. Now back on the interview trail, we caught up with him to get some fresh perspective on round II and his possible future.
“When I went through the process last year, that was my first one, and my only one,” Sturm said, reflecting back to last summer. “When I asked around, asking different coaches, everyone pretty much said the same thing, ‘Your first one will not be your best one, that’s for sure.’ Having said that, I think that I did a pretty good job, and that’s why I ended up being close. But you learn from it, the good and bad, along with what do you think [you] have to do to improve. You’re going to get more experience out of it. With me being around one more year, I think it just helps overall. Moving forward, I’m definitely calmer and more relaxed going into those meetings. At the end of the day, you have to be yourself; especially me, I’m the best when I’m myself. I just have to remind myself to do that. When I do that, everything will be fine.”
Sturm guided the Reign to solid seasons each of the past two years, producing years of .632 and .625 points percentages. His 42 wins from a year ago and 43 wins this past season are the second and third most since the club arrived in Ontario (trailing only their debut season of 2015-16, when they had 44 wins).
As he entered this second round of potential NHL coaching opportunities, was there anything specific he wanted to adjust regarding the way he presents himself in an interview?
“I think, overall, I wouldn’t change a lot to be honest with you, and I didn’t” shared Sturm. “I had to tweak a few things around. Of course, there are a few moments in interviews [where] I just have to probably be a little bit more careful with what I say. Maybe not be that direct. [Last year], I probably wanted it too bad. You know, with it being my first interview, I wanted to be all out. That’s something where you just kind of have to calm yourself down a little bit because they feel it, right? They feel if you know the game, they feel if you want it. So, it’s not that. It’s just, finding the right tone sometimes helps too.”
Knowing that the final decision in either Boston or Vancouver is really out of his control, Sturm is choosing to stay on the positive side of things and prepare for either scenario.
“I had one [interview] last year and a few more this year, so, I think I’m heading in the right direction,” he said, building upon an idea he’s been very open about for many years — his ultimate desire is to be an NHL head coach. “I really believe I’m a good coach. I think, [no] I’m ready to go to be a head coach in the National Hockey League. I’m going to try my best [to land one of those jobs]. Where I’m going to end up, I don’t know. But, if nothing comes out of it, I will be back with the Ontario Reign. And I’m going to look forward to doing that because that’s exactly what brought me [to this point], right? I can talk to any teams, whatever I want; everyone says the same thing, ‘You did the right thing. Go back to Ontario and be the head coach, get that experience as a head coach and then move on from there.’ So, I really feel blessed and it’s nice to hear that other people see that and I appreciate that, all the work.”
Like last summer, he continues to praise AHL Ontario and is proud of his connection to the entire group, including his relationship with the players.
“Minor league-wise, I think there’s no other better place than here in LA and in Ontario,” he boasted. “[This year] was another year of learning. I feel more and more comfortable, and I’m very, very confident now. There’s always a reason why, even my first year when I had the job in Ontario that, you know, I needed more experience. I needed those years to put everything in one. I know the on-ice stuff, maybe the off-ice stuff, the bench, the daily work. Everything had to come together, and I feel like now it came together. Maybe that’s why I just feel mentally more comfortable. I think it was just a matter of time and if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay. I will be fine. At least I’m in a good spot right now. I feel confident enough that when things come up, I’m going to be great. But if someone would ask me that three years ago, I probably would say, ‘Mmm, I don’t know, I’m not sure,’ right? And now, I’m sure. I just want to be honest.”
We’ll have to see what’s next for Sturm. A final decision in Boston should be coming sooner rather than later. If he was to leave, Chris Hajt has more than paid his dues as an assistant coach in Ontario — a topic we briefly explored here.
We’ll have more with Sturm during an in-depth conversation on Kings Of The Podcast later this week.
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