After a nearly two-month-long search for the next head coach of the Boston Bruins, general manager Don Sweeney ended the suspense and named Marco Sturm, who had been rumored a few weeks leading into the announcement, the next coach of his franchise. That announcement was made on June 5.
When the announcement was made, Sweeney and his staff were in upstate New York in Buffalo for the NHL Combine, which is a big one for the Black and Gold, who own the seventh overall pick in next week's Entry Draft. As is the case when someone gets named a head coach of a team in any sport, their phone will blow up with congratulatory texts.
Sturm, however, was surprised by who the first person was to send him a text and congratulate him. No, it wasn't a former teammate; it wasn't even a former Boston Bruins player. It was a player who had just played in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm reveals first person to reach out to him after being hired in Boston
The announcement came the morning after the Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers, 4-3, in overtime in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in Alberta. Leon Draisaitl potted the game-winner, and hours after scoring the goal, he sent a text to Boston's new bench boss, according to Sturm on the "Energy Line with Nate and JSB" podcast.
“He was the first guy, when I got hired by the Boston Bruins, he was the first text message,” said Sturm. “He just finished a game like, I don’t know how many hours before that. And he texted me? Like, first one? Are you kidding me? That’s him. He cares a lot about other people.”
Sturm and Draisaitl go back to the latter's time on the German National Team, which Sturm coached. It's safe to say that he left an impression on Draisaitl, and a big enough one to where he immediately fired off a text to him.