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Two NHL insiders weighed in on the latest news from the Bruins’ head coaching search
"There's been a lot of talk about Marco Sturm, and I heard he did really well in his interview last week."
The latest on the Bruins head coaching search: The uncertainty at the top of the Bruins organization could end early this week according to an NHL insider, and interim head coach Joe Sacco is reportedly no longer in the running.
Boston is yet to fill its head coaching vacancy after a disappointing season. Per two reports on Monday morning, that could change soon. Pierre LeBruin of TSN weighed in to note that he expects the Bruins will “announce their coaching hire early this week.”
“My understanding is that they’re down to two candidates,” LeBrun noted.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also shared some additional reporting. Asked if there was an update to the Bruins’ situation on his podcast, “32 Thoughts,” Friedman said that Sacco — hired as an interim coach in November after Jim Montgomery was fired — won’t be back.
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“Yes, in Boston since our last [podcast], I believe Joe Sacco was told that he will not stay as head coach of the Boston Bruins,” Friedman said. “I’m actually kind of wondering if he could end up in Toronto, replacing Lane Lambert’s spot, but we’ll see.”
Sacco was born in Medford, Massachusetts and played for Boston University, but also has a Toronto background (as he was drafted by the Maple Leafs).
“I’m under the impression that he was told he won’t be staying,” Friedmann explained of Sacco. He continued the rundown of potential Bruins candidates.
“There’s been a lot of talk about Marco Sturm, and I heard he did really well in his interview last week,” the NHL insider said. “They also had Mitch Love in there last week. I believe they had Jay Woodcroft, and they also interviewed Jay Leech.”
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“Dallas is out now. There’s been a lot of talk about Misha Donskov, very bright guy on Dallas’s staff. If [the Bruins] want to talk to him in person, he’s available now, but we’ll see,” Friedman added. “They had a big week last week in Boston with all those candidates there, and like I said I heard that Sacco was told he will not be returning as head coach.”
Trivia: Who is the winningest head coach in Bruins history?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Hint: He also coached the rival Canadiens in separate stints on both sides of his time with Boston.
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox defeated the Braves 3-1 on Sunday.
Tonight, the team return to Fenway Park to begin a three-game series against the Angels at 7:10 p.m.
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A Red Sox win: Garrett Crochet continued to pitch like an ace, yielding one run and striking out 12 in Sunday’s win over Atlanta. Trevor Story, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, and a 9th inning diving stop in the field.
On this day: In 1995, John Valentin went 5-for-5 with three home runs, helping the Red Sox to a 6-5 win over the Mariners.
Daily highlight: Cooper McGrath made an incredible reaction catch on Sunday, but Northeastern ultimately fell just short of a NCAA Division 1 Tournament regional upset bid against Mississippi State, 3-2.
Trivia answer: Claude Julien
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