The Boston Bruins are still well into the offseason, but head coach Marco Sturm is being honored in his home country. Sturm received the The Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany this month. “What an honor for the HC,” said the Boston Bruins via X. “Coach Sturm recently received The Cross of Merit on Ribbon | Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is the nation’s highest civilian honor for outstanding service to the common good.”What an honor for the HC 🇩🇪Coach Sturm recently received The Cross of Merit on Ribbon | Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is the nation’s highest civilian honor for outstanding service to the common good. pic.twitter.com/7i0A0Y6Yu0— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 20, 2026According to the official website, The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany began in 1951 under Federal President Theodor Heuss. Some of the accolades that civilians can receive the honor for include political, economic, social, intellectual, and community work. He was awarded the honor by Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. Sturm is headed into his second season as Bruins head coach. Last season, he led the team to a 25-27-10 regular-season record, a No. 4 seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and made an appearance in the first round of the postseason where it lost to the Buffalo Sabres in six games. Boston will open its 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday, Sept. 29 against the New York Rangers at TD Garden in Boston. Sept. 29: vs. New York RangersOct. 2: at Winnipeg JetsOct. 3: at Minnesota Wild Oct. 5: vs. Ottawa SenatorsOct. 8: vs. Utah MammothOct. 10: vs. Philadelphia FlyersOct. 13: at San Jose SharksOct. 16: at Anaheim DucksOct. 17: at Los Angeles KingsOct. 20: at Dallas StarsOct. 22: vs. Nashville PredatorsOct. 24: vs. San Jose SharksOct. 27: at Carolina HurricanesOct. 29: at St. Louis BluesOct. 31: vs. Chicago BlackhawksNov. 2: vs. Vegas Golden KnightsNov. 5: at Pittsburgh PenguinsNov. 8: vs. Florida PanthersNov. 12: vs. Montreal CanadiensNov. 14: vs. Minnesota WildNov. 17: vs. Los Angeles KingsNov. 18: at Detroit Red WingsNov. 21: vs. Washington CapitalsNov. 25: vs. Winnipeg JetsNov. 27: vs. Toronto Maple LeafsNov. 29: vs. Vancouver CanucksDec. 1: vs. Colorado Avalanche Dec. 5: vs. Detroit Red WingsDec. 8: at Florida PanthersDec. 10: at Tampa Bay Lightning Dec. 12: vs. New Jersey DevilsDec. 13: at Carolina HurricanesDec. 15: vs. Florida PanthersDec. 17: vs. St. Louis BluesDec. 19: at New Jersey DevilsDec. 20: vs. Philadelphia FlyersDec. 22: at New York IslandersDec. 26: vs. New York IslandersDec. 27: at New Jersey DevilsDec. 30: vs. Edmonton OilersJan. 1: at Chicago BlackhawksJan. 2: at Columbus Blue JacketsJan. 5: vs. Buffalo SabresJan. 6: at Montreal CanadiensJan. 9: at Detroit Red WingsJan. 12: vs. Carolina HurricanesJan. 14: vs. Dallas StarsJan. 16: at New York RangersJan. 18: vs. Tampa Bay LightningJan. 20: at Colorado AvalancheJan. 22: at Vegas Golden KnightsJan. 23: at Utah MammothJan. 26: vs. Columbus Blue JacketsJan. 28: at Ottawa SenatorsJan. 30: vs. Toronto Maple LeafsFeb. 10: at Toronto Maple LeafsFeb. 13: vs. Columbus Blue JacketsFeb. 15: vs. Anaheim DucksFeb. 17: at Calgary FlamesFeb. 19: at Edmonton OilersFeb. 21: at Vancouver CanucksFeb. 22: at Seattle KrakenFeb. 25: vs. Washington CapitalsFeb. 27: vs. Detroit Red WingsMarch 3: at New York RangersMarch 4: at Ottawa SenatorsMarch 6: vs. Pittsburgh PenguinsMarch 8: vs. Seattle KrakenMarch 10: at Montreal CanadiensMarch 11: at Pittsburgh PenguinsMarch 13: vs. Calgary FlamesMarch 15: vs. New York IslandersMarch 18: at Philadelphia FlyersMarch 20: at Nashville PredatorsMarch 23: vs. Buffalo SabresMarch 25: vs. Ottawa SenatorsMarch 26: at Washington CapitalsMarch 30: vs. Montreal CanadiensApril 1: at Buffalo SabresApril 3: vs. Tampa Bay LightningApril 5: at Toronto Maple LeafsApril 7: at Buffalo SabresApril 9: at Florida PanthersApril 10: at Tampa Bay LightningFollow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram for the latest Boston Bruins news.