12 Things To Know About Don Sweeney
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Bruins' exhaustive search for a new general manager ended with a familiar face in charge of the franchise, as Don Sweeney was named the eighth GM in Bruins history on Wednesday.
While he spent the bulk of his NHL career in Boston, there are a few things you may not know about the man now in charge of the Bruins. Here's all you need to know about Donald Clarke Sweeney:
- Born on August 17, 1966, Sweeney grew up in St. Stephens, New Brunswick in Canada. He then attended St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire.
- Sweeney was drafted by the Bruins in 1984 as an eighth round selection, 166th overall, out of high school.
Listen: Don Sweeney on Toucher & Rich
- Before lacing up in the NHL, Sweeney played four seasons at Harvard University. He earned NCAA East All-American and ECAC First Team All-Star honors and played in the 1986 NCAA Finals. He graduated in 1988 with a degree in Economics.
- Sweeney made his pro debut in 1988-89, splitting time with Boston and their AHL affiliate in Maine. He had three goals and five assists in 36 games for the Bruins that season.
- He saw his first postseason action in 1990, as the Bruins made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Edmonton Oilers. Sweeney had a goal and five assists in 21 postseason games during Boston's run to the Final.
- Sweeney played in all 84 games for the Bruins in the 1992-93 season, finishing with 36 points to help Boston win the Adams Division.
- Sweeney played 15 of his 16 NHL seasons for the Boston Bruins, scoring 52 goals, dishing out 210 assists and finishing with a plus-90 in 1,052 games.
- Sweeney is one of only 300 players in NHL history have played 1000+ games, and is one of just four players in Bruins team history to play in over 1,000 games.
- This will be Sweeney's 10th season in the Bruins' front office after serving the past six years as assistant general manager. He joined the Bruins in 2006 as the team's Director of Player Development and was named to the position of Director of Hockey Operations in July, 2007 before being promoted to assistant general manager in September of 2009.
Watch: Sweeney Sits Down With WBZ-TV's Dan Roche -- Part 1 | Part 2
- Sweeney organized and ran the team's first off-season Development Camp in July 2007. The camp is now in its ninth season for Boston.
- He was appointed as general manager of Boston's AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, in 2014. In that role, Sweeney oversaw all hockey operations for that franchise.
- Sweeney is married to former figure skater Christine Hough, who competed in the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics for Canada. The two have twin sons, Jarrod and Tyler, and reside in Boston.
