BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins hired Marco Sturm as coach on Thursday to help the Original Six franchise get back to the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2016 .

The Bruins picked the 46-year-old German to replace interim coach Joe Sacco, who took over from Jim Montgomery in November and led the team to a 25-30-7 record — much of it after a trade deadline roster purge . Sturm, who spent the past three seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign and coached Germany to a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, is a former Boston player — just like Bruins president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney.

“Boston has always held a special place in my heart, and I know how much this team means to the city and to our fans,” said Sturm, who was a Bruins le

See Full Page