Bruins Sign Don Sweeney To Multi-Year Contract Extension
"We are proud to extend Don Sweeney to a multi-year contract as General Manager of the Boston Bruins," said Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. "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."
"Having had the pleasure of working closely with Don for more than a decade, I've seen firsthand his tireless work ethic when it comes to all facets of front office management," said Bruins President Cam Neely. "He remains committed to doing whatever it takes to give the Boston Bruins the best chance to win every season. I look forward to continuing to work with Don as we endeavor to bring another championship to this city and our fans."
Sweeney was named the eighth general manager in the history of the Boston Bruins before the 2015-16 season.
Among general managers credited with at least 100 regular season games since the start of the 2015-16 season, Sweeney's 313 wins in that span are second to Brian MacLellan of the Washington Capitals, and his .584 winning percentage is tied with Kelly McCrimmon of the Vegas Golden Knights for seventh in the NHL.
The Bruins are one of just four Eastern Conference teams (Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals) to reach the playoffs in each of the past six seasons under his tenure.
Sweeney was named General Manager of the Year following the 2018-19 season, in which the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
The 55-year-old joined the Bruins Hockey Operations Staff in 2006 as the team's Director of Player Development and was named to the position of Director of Hockey Operations in July of 2007 before being promoted to Assistant General Manager in September of 2009. As Assistant GM, he oversaw the development of the team's drafted prospects at the AHL, junior hockey, college and European levels in addition to having a supervisory role in the day-to-day operations of the hockey department.
In 2014, the New Brunswick native was appointed General Manager of Boston's AHL affiliate in Providence where he oversaw all of hockey operations.
Drafted by the Bruins in the eighth round, 166th overall, in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, he went on to play four seasons of college hockey at Harvard University. He earned both NCAA East All-American and ECAC First Team All-Star honors with the Crimson and played in the 1986 NCAA Finals before graduating with a degree in Economics.
The defenseman played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League, including 15 in a Bruins uniform. He is one of three defensemen and six players in team history to play over 1,000 games in a Boston sweater and he still ranks fourth on the team's all-time games played list. He also ranks in the top ten of the club's all-time lists in career assists and points by a defenseman.
