The Boston Bruins are at a fork in the road as they head into the offseason, and there are many big decisions to be made. One of those decisions is whether interim head coach Joe Sacco will be back behind the bench—or even in the organization at all. Speaking to reporters at Warrior Ice Arena on Thursday, Sacco said he still hasn’t gotten any clarity on his future with the team.
“No,” he said when asked if there had been any talks about his role moving forward. “I think that’ll be addressed as we go. Right now, we have exit meetings today, and our players are getting their physicals. So that’ll be addressed soon.”
A Season of Ups and Downs Under Sacco
Sacco joined the Bruins’ staff in July 2014 and took over as interim head coach in November after Jim Montgomery was fired after an 8-9-3 start. At first, it seemed to breathe life into the team. The Bruins won seven of their first nine games with Sacco behind the bench.
But the momentum didn’t last. Boston’s season-long problems—especially on defense—resurfaced as the season went on. Over the final 60 games, the Bruins went 24-30-6 under Sacco and missed the playoffs.
“Everybody thinks about team defense, they think about defending in your own zone. It’s not necessarily the case,” Sacco said about the team’s struggles. “It’s other things that factor into playing team defense. It’s managing the puck, executing plays at the right time, it’s game management—all the things I’ve talked to you guys about all season.”
He added, “It just seemed like at times we weren’t able to sustain that for 60 minutes. Whether it be execution or just sometimes lack of details, whatever the case may be, we just weren’t able to sustain it for 60 minutes of the game like we would have.”
Players Rally Behind Sacco
Despite the team’s struggles, several players supported Sacco, praising his leadership and ability to bring the team together during a tough season. Morgan Geekie was particularly effusive after the season ended.
“Joe’s great. He was put in a tough spot, for sure—just where the team was at the time,” Geekie said. “And he did a good job of getting us together. It’s too bad we couldn’t play every night for him because I think when we did play, we were a good team, and you saw that after the deadline and around Christmas, just how good of a team we could be.”
Geekie added, “He’s a good man and a good coach, and I had a lot of fun playing for him. … I can’t say enough good things about him as a coach, as a man, and how he kind of brought us down the stretch.”
Would Sacco be Assistant Coach again?
With his future uncertain, Sacco was asked if he’d consider returning as an assistant coach if the Bruins hire someone else as head coach. He hedged.
“That’s a tough one,” Sacco said. “We’ll see what happens in the near future. We’ll address that if and when that comes up.”
Ten years with the Bruins
Regardless of what the Bruins do, Sacco is grateful for the opportunity to have coached the team, even if it was only on an interim basis. As a Medford native, coaching his hometown team meant a lot to him.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” Sacco said. “I think just finishing up over a decade here and being part of a great organization—the Bruins have treated me very well, and they’ve been very loyal, and I feel like I’ve been loyal too. It’s worked both ways. So no, I’ve been really lucky to be in this business and be with the same team for that long. You’re pretty fortunate as an individual.”
