Marco Sturm didn’t try to play it cool or downplay his enthusiasm.
On Wednesday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., Sturm will be behind the Bruins bench for his first game as an NHL head coach and his emotions will be high.
“I’m very excited,” he said on Tuesday. “Obviously, it’s going to be my first NHL head coach game. That will be something special.”
The Bruins hired Sturm this summer after they fired Jim Montgomery during the season and didn’t retain interim coach Joe Sacco after missing the playoffs.
Sturm, who played for the Bruins, has been an AHL head coach and an NHL assistant, but this will be his first time in the big chair with a big job.
The 47-year-old German said he had a little nervousness at the start of his first preseason game and would likely feel similar vibes on Thursday before his first home game when the Bruins host the Blackhawks at TD Garden.
“I’m not going to lie. I had butterflies at my first (preseason) game here,” he said. “After that, it was like back to business. I probably expect that (Wednesday) and then maybe the first game at home again.
“But as soon as I start the game, the first 5 minutes, I’m in game mode,” he continued. “I’m in coaching mode. I don’t see anything around me anymore. I just see my guys. I see guys flying around. That’s usually what happens. But it definitely will be emotional, that’s for sure.”