Bruins Extend GM Don Sweeney
The Boston Bruins announced on Monday, June 27, 2022, that they had signed General Manager Don Sweeney to a multiyear contract extension. The announcement came three weeks after the organization released head coach Bruce Cassidy.
Sweeney’s involvement with the Boston Bruins traces back to his time as a player when he was drafted in 1984. Before donning the Spoked-B as a professional, he played his collegiate hockey with the Harvard Crimson. He played with Boston for 15 seasons, amassing over 1,000 games in black and gold. The defenseman finished his skating career with the Dallas Stars at the end of the 2002-03 season.
After retiring as a player, Sweeney returned to the Bruins in 2006 to become part of the front office as Director of Player Development. In July 2007, Sweeney was named Director of Hockey Operations and ultimately promoted to Assistant General Manager in September of 2009. It was the release of Peter Chiarelli in 2015 that saw Sweeney take the mantle as General Manager.
Since becoming general manager, Sweeney ranks second in total wins at 313 among general managers who have been credited with a minimum of 100 regular season games, behind only the GM of the Washington Capitals, Brian MacLellan. Meanwhile he is tied in seventh place within the NHL with Kelly McCrimmon, general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights with a .584 winning percentage.
“Under his management, the Boston Bruins have been one of the winningest franchises in the league and a perennial playoff contender year in and year out. While we recognize there is work to be done to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Boston, I’m confident that Don’s commitment to being best-in-class on and off the ice will help us climb that mountain once again,” said Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs.
Indeed, Boston is one of just four NHL teams to have made it to the postseason in each year for the past six years along with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals. In the past six postseasons the Bruins have reached the second round three times (2017/18, 2019/20, 2020/21), the first round twice (2016/17, 2021/22) and once to the Stanley Cup Final (2018/19).
It was at the end of the 2018/19 season that Sweeney was honored as the General Manager of the Year.
There is a vocal fan base who feels that Sweeney is to blame for Boston’s inability to bring home the Stanley Cup in the past seven years. However, hockey is not just about a single person. In addition to the players and the coaches, there are a number of individuals responsible for icing a competitive team. There are also many conversations that take place when cameras are not rolling that those outside of the organization are not privy to. There are times when the general manager can’t sign or trade for a specific player due to limited cap space, no move clauses in a player’s contract, or the demands of the other team simply being too high. It doesn’t mean that Sweeney did not do his job, and those who have extended his contract are much more aware as to all that he does during the season.
The extension comes before the 2022 NHL Entry Draft which will take place in Montreal, Quebec on July 7 and 8, 2022.
