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Bruins name Sacco assistant coach

Finland vs USA

USA’s head coach Joe Sacco watches the 2013 Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships bronze medal match between Finland and USA at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday May 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Scanpix Sweden/Claudio Bresciani)

AP

The Boston Bruins added major experience to Claude Julien’s staff on Thursday, hiring former NHLer and Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco as an assistant.

Sacco will replace outgoing assistant Geoff Ward who, last week, left the B’s to take the head coaching gig with German League team Adler Mannheim.

Sacco, 45, comes to the Bruins after spending last year as an assistant in Buffalo. Prior to his time with the Sabres he spent four years in charge of the Avalanche, including the 2009-10 campaign in which he led a surprising Avs team to the playoffs and was named a Jack Adams finalist for coach of the year.

The move to Boston will represent a homecoming for Sacco. The Massachusetts native played at Boston University before getting drafted into the NHL, and spent a couple seasons as an assistant coach in Lowell prior to Colorado moving its AHL affiliate to Lake Erie.