Don Sweeney selected as Team Canada general manager for 4 Nations Face-Off

BOSTON -- An international hockey competition will be held in 2025, and Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will be tasked with building Canada's roster.

Hockey Canada announced Friday that Sweeney will make his international management debut for the tournament, serving as Team Canada's general manager. 

"I am both honored and appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of Hockey Canada," Sweeney said in a statement released by the Bruins. "Having the trust of Doug Armstrong, Katherine Henderson and Pat McLaughlin as well as working with Jim Nill, Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Salmond, and others, including all the proud Canadian players, will be an incredible life experience. We will work hard to put together the best teams to proudly represent Canada and to compete at the highest level to accomplish one goal. I want to thank the Jacobs family and Cam [Neely] in supporting my role with Hockey Canada."

Jim Nill, GM of the Dallas Stars, will be associate general manager. Both Sweeney and Nill will continue working as assistant GMs for Team Canada in the 2026 Olympics with Doug Armstrong, who will be Canada's GM for the NHL's return to Olympic competition.

"As we continue to prepare for international competition over the next two years, I am thrilled to have Don and Jim lead Team Canada at the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, and to welcome these two experienced general managers to our management group for the 2026 Olympics," Armstrong said in the release. "Both Don and Jim have enjoyed successful NHL careers and will represent the Maple Leaf with pride, and we know their experience will be a valuable asset as we build teams for two major international events in 2025 and 2026." 

The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off will feature Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland, with games reportedly set to be hosted by Boston and Montreal. Thus, the possibility of Sweeney building a Canadian roster to beat the U.S. in the Bruins' arena in Boston is quite high.

The 57-year-old Sweeney played 16 NHL seasons, the first 15 of which came as a member of the Boston Bruins, who selected him in the eighth round of the 1984 draft before his collegiate career at Harvard. Sweeney's playing career ended in 2004, and he entered management two years later as the director of player development for the Bruins in 2006. He moved up to director of hockey operations in 2007 and became assistant general manager under Peter Chiarelli in 2009. When Chiarelli was fired in 2015, Sweeney was elevated to the team's GM role.

The Bruins made the playoffs in Sweeney's second season as GM and have not missed the postseason since, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and setting an NHL record in wins (65) and points (135) in the 2022-23 season.

The 4-Nations Face-Off will take place from Feb. 12-20, 2025.