GANGNEUNG, Korea – German Marco Sturm played 938 NHL games, and he wants an NHL coaching career that lasts just as long.
“That’s my goal – to go back,” said Sturm, general manager and coach of the German team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. “I loved living over there, and in hockey, there is nothing better than the NHL.”
The NHL’s love of European players is well-established, but the league has been less welcoming to European coaches.
The Pittsburgh Penguins hired Czech legend Ivan Hlinka to coach in 2000, and he lasted one season plus four games.