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Bruins promote Sweeney to Director of Hockey Operations and Player Development - July 14, 2007 Boston Bruins Promote Benning and Sweeney
"Jim has experience in a number of different positions, and he has achieved success wherever he has been," said Chiarelli. "His expertise in player evaluation, and his knowledge of the league-wide landscape will be extremely valuable to the organization."
The 2007-2008 season will mark Benning's second year with the Bruins organization. He spent the 2006-2007 season as Director of Player Personnel, after being named to the position on July 25, 2006.
Benning came to the Bruins after twelve seasons in the Buffalo Sabres organization, where he spent the previous eight seasons as their Director of Amateur Scouting. Prior to his tenure in Buffalo, Benning spent time as an amateur scout with the Anaheim Ducks organization.
A former defenseman, he was drafted by Toronto as their first pick, sixth overall, in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft and played nine seasons in the National Hockey League with the Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks.
Sweeney, who spent last season working as the Director of Player Development for the Bruins, spent 15 of his 16 NHL seasons as a player wearing the Bruins sweater after being originally drafted by the Bruins with their eighth pick (166th overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.
"In one year, Don has shown great hockey aptitude, and has been instrumental in moving forward our development plans for our young players," said Chiarelli. "In his new position, Don will bring his expertise to the day-to-day hockey operations, and he will oversee our player development."
He is one of just two defensemen and four players in Boston history to play over 1,000 games, and ranks third on the team's all-time games played list. Sweeney also ranks in the top ten of the club's all-time lists in career goals, assists, and points by a defenseman. He played his final NHL season with the Dallas Stars in 2003-2004.
Sweeney, a native of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, graduated with an Economics degree from Harvard University where he played four years and was an All-American.
Boston Bruins name Don Sweeney director of player development
The Boston Bruins have named Don Sweeney to the position of Director of Player Development, it was announced today by Bruins Interim General Manager Jeff Gorton.
Sweeney’s responsibilities will include tracking the progress of all prospects in the Bruins’ system at the AHL, junior hockey and college levels, scouting of professional leagues and other duties in support of the team’s Hockey Operations department.
“Don's background as a player makes him well suited to this position," said Gorton. "He knows what it takes to have success in this league, as speed and consistency were his hallmarks as a player. The work ethic he displayed at every practice and every game allowed him to get the most out of his ability over a long career and he will serve as a great guide for our prospects as they progress in their development.”
Sweeney, 39, was drafted by the Bruins out of high school as their eighth pick, 166th overall, in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play four seasons of college hockey at Harvard University, including three as a teammate of incoming Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli, and earned both NCAA East All-American and ECAC First Team All-Star honors with the Crimson. He helped lead Harvard to the 1986 NCAA Finals, where they bowed to Michigan State.
He turned professional in 1988 after earning his degree in Economics and split his first two professional seasons between Boston and their AHL affiliate in Maine. He played 15 seasons and 1,052 games in a Bruins uniform, as he is one of just four players (two defensemen) in team history to play in over 1,000 games, and he was a member of the 1989-90 Bruins team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
He still ranks third on the team’s all-time games played list and among all-time club defensemen, he ranks tenth in career goals, eighth in assists and ninth in points with 52-210=262 career Boston totals.
Sweeney concluded his NHL playing career in 2003-04 with the Dallas Stars. He retired with 52 goals and 221 assists for 273 points and 681 penalty minutes in 1,115 career regular season games and added nine goals and ten assists for 19 points with 81 penalty minutes in 108 career playoff contests.
He served the last year as an Assistant Dean of Admissions at Phillips Academy Andover and was also a studio analyst for Bruins games on New England Sports Network (NESN).
He and his wife Christine have twin sons, Jarrod and Tyler.
Old-school defenseman is summoned to the dean's office
Another week gone by, and more familiar names gone silently into the good night. The biggest names last week were Mark Messier and Ron Francis, the classy ex-Whaler who hung it up after 23 years. He took a front-office post with the Carolina Tropical Depressions. Ink in November 2008 for the Messier-Francis Hall of Fame inductions.
Meanwhile, ex-Bruin Don Sweeney was so understated with his decision to retire that some of the folks at Boston-based Global Hockey Consultants (the agency that represented him for years) were unaware. The 39-year-old Sweeney not long ago began a new career as assistant dean of admissions at Phillips Andover Academy (former stomping grounds of President Bush and Bill Belichick).
''I generally pour most of me into whatever it is I'm doing," said Sweeney. ''The more I look at this opportunity, while making up my mind during the lockout, the more excited I got about it.
''Where does it lead? I'm not sure, and I'm not sure that matters for now. I don't know if there is an end point, but I'm on board, full steam ahead, and I'm excited to see where it leads."
The dynamo ex-defenseman is also intrigued with the idea of helping out the school's hockey program when time allows.
''No title, just a volunteer consulting thing," said Sweeney, who was a mainstay on the Boston defense for 15 seasons before spending a wrapup year with the Dallas Stars in 2003-04. ''I'd feel almost like it was a disservice to me if I wasn't involved somehow, and I think the school would look at it as a wasted resource."
WEBSITE UPDATED AFTER SIX YEARS Believing that this site was long ago left for dead by Tripod, I stumbled across it not too long ago and was shocked. The last update had been in March of 1999, and not only was it still online, but people were still visiting. I had the uncontrolable urge to revive it and make it new again. As you can see, I kept it as simple and basic as the old site. But it looks alot better, in my opinion. I'd like to thank Tripod for leaving cobwebs on the internet. If they still host pages that have not been touched since back in the day, '94 or so, then they are a priceless gem. I'd also like to thank Dreambook for keeping the guestbook for this site running. But most of all, I'd like to thank Donnie for still playing and contributing to the depth and knowledge of teams like a true veteran should. I have dug up a few old news articles that this site has missed since it's last update.
Don Sweeney -- Same number,
different team For 15 years, Don Sweeney was "the other defenseman" on the Boston Bruins besides Ray Bourque. He was a fan favorite not only because of the way he played, but because he played his college hockey and got his degree from Harvard University, right in the Bruin's back yard. He still plays defense and still wears his familiar No. 32, but this hockey season, something is completely different. Like Bourque, Sweeney won't be ending his hockey career in "Beantown." He's now a member of the Dallas Stars. If you watched the Boston Bruins as much as I did in the late 1980's and late 1990s, something looks really strange about seeing "Sweens" in another uniform. Sort of like seeing Karl Malone in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform and waiting for John Stockton to show up. Sweeney told me after the Dallas Stars practice on December 4th, the same night that they would play the Kings, that he, "wasn't surprised" that the Bruins let him go as a free agent. It was time for a change of scenery not only for him, but his family as well. In the land of football, one would think that anything played on ice and with skates wouldn't be popular. The Stars, who have won a Stanley Cup since moving from Minnesota, not only have fans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but Sweeney told me that the Stars have a big fan base in the Texas cities of Austin and San Antonio as well. Sweeney is one of the few NHL players who is born in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. He and his wife, Christine, a professional ice skater, have two twin boys, who are now four years old. Like most Canadian children, the Sweeney boys have already started to skate. Going on his 16th year in the league, Sweeney has seen many changes, one of which is the size of the players. It's not just hockey players that are growing either. Players in the other sports are growing just as big and tall. I also asked him about his thoughts on the collective bargaining agreement, and being an economics major, Sweeney had a different "take" on it. He told me he sees the same issues now that were there in 1994. Like most of the players, he doesn't want to see a work stoppage, but fears it might happen if both sides won't give in a little. He's also worried about the fan reaction and what might happen if the dreaded "L" word (lockout) occurs. "Hockey will suffer and the fans won't be apologetic to either side this time," he concluded. © eSports Media Group Stars sign
defenseman Sweeney
DALLAS -- Longtime Boston Bruins defenseman Don Sweeney signed a one-year deal Monday with the Dallas Stars, who were in need of a defenseman after losing captain Derian Hatcher to free agency. Sweeney has played his entire 15-year NHL career with the Bruins, breaking in during the 1988-89 season. He played in 1,052 career games -- third most in team history behind Ray Bourque and John Bucyk -- totaling 52 goals and 210 assists. He also has played more than 100 postseason games. Last season, Sweeney had three goals and five assists in 67 games. He became a free agent when the Bruins did not to offer him a contract for next season. Sweeney will "bring stability and depth to our defensive unit," Stars general manager Doug Armstrong said. "He strengthens our hockey club and will provide a veteran presence in our locker room." Sweeney replaces Hatcher in the rotation. Hatcher signed with the Detroit Red Wings. Sweeney was the Bruins' eighth pick, 166th overall, in the 1984 NHL draft. For years, he formed the nucleus of the Bruins defense with Bourque. Known more for defense and checking than scoring, Sweeney posted a career high 34 points on seven goals and 27 assists in 1992-93. He has nine goals and eight assists in 92 career playoff games. Sweeney bleeds black and gold By Mick Colageo, SouthCoastToday.com - April 22, 2003
"This is where my heart is to play hockey, there's no question," Sweeney admitted in the face of long odds the Bruins would make a contract offer this summer.
A source privy to trade talk corroborated the suspicion in this space that, earlier this season, after the Bruins had honored Sweeney for reaching the 1,000-game milestone, they were trying to deal him but found no takers. His $1.8 million annual salary was too expensive for a reliable fifth-wheel-type defenseman. Now that contract has expired, leaving the soon-to-be, 37-year-old in limbo.
Meantime, general manager Mike O'Connell has been stockpiling defensemen with recent high draft picks Nick Boynton (21st overall, 1999), Jonathan Girard (48th-1998), Jeff Jillson (14th-1999), Lars Jonsson (7th-2000) and Shaonne Morrisonn (19th-2001).
Boynton is already a card-carrying member of Boston's top four, along with Hal Gill, Dan McGillis and Sean O'Donnell. Unless O'Connell does not pick up Bryan Berard's option and doesn't resign journeyman Ian Moran, there's little room for Sweeney. And, with the possibility the NHL may shut down after next season while the league and the players' union negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement, the Bruins are going to be anxious to see what these other kids can do.
Like Ray Bourque, who had to leave for the Rocky Mountains to claim hockey's ultimate prize, Sweeney has long dreamed he'd be part of a Stanley Cup winner.
"I've chased that for 15 years here, trying to be part of that on the ice," he said. "It remains to be seen whether that's going to happen for me. But, obviously, I hope that happens, as a player and a fan."
While the Sharks, one of two obvious teams lacking blue-line depth, are a little far away in San Jose, don't rule out Sweeney signing a one-year deal with the Islanders, who lack veteran depth.
"I don't have the answer as to whether or not this is my last year as a Boston Bruin, I can't answer that truthfully," said Sweeney. "I'm going to miss them a lot more than they're going to miss me and they're going to miss me, I can tell you that much, so I'm going to be a fan, regardless of whether I play here or somewhere else or don't play at all." Sweeney saves Bruins BBC Sports, February 24 2003 Don Sweeney's second goal of the season earned Boston Bruins a 4-4 draw with the New York Islanders and a much-needed point. Sweeney moved in on Islanders goalie Garth Snow and flicked a shot in the top left corner to keep Boston in eighth place in the Eastern Conference play-off hunt. Boston also got goals from Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel, and a goal and three assists from Brian Rolston. Michael Peca scored two goals within 2:12 in the first period while Jason Wiemer and Jason Blake also scored for New York. The result took the Islanders to within eight points of fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Sweeney unlikely member of
1,000-game club Boston defenseman Don Sweeney appeared in his 1,000th career game Thursday when the Bruins played host to the New York Islanders. Although he was the 180th NHL player to reach that mark, he was also among the unlikeliest. Sweeney, a less-than-imposing 5-foot-10, 188 pounds, was the 166th pick of the Bruins in the 1984 draft. Only four players ever drafted lower than Sweeney have played in more games — Detroit's Luc Robitaille (171st pick), Gary Suter (180th), Kelly Buchberger (188th) and Dave Taylor (210th). "Obviously, his size is limited," Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek said. "But no one has ever been able to measure the size of a guy's heart. That's what's gotten Donnie through it all, along with his brain and the experience he's gained over the course of his career." Sweeney, who has 49 career goals and 645 penalty minutes, is the fourth Bruins player to reach 1,000 games, following Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk and Wayne Cashman, and the 35th player to reach that mark having played every game with the same team. Sweeney, 36, will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, his 15th in the NHL. He would like to return to Boston, but doesn't know what to expect. "Quickness is the determining factor for me," he said. "Everybody loses things as you get older, and I'm not denying my age. When I lose quickness, I'll know it's time for me to go." Two other players were in line to also play their 1,000th games this week. Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour reached the mark Friday against Philadelphia and the Flyers' Jeremy Roenick was set to do the same Saturday against the Bruins. Sweeney aching to play
Don Sweeney's wife, Christine, hadn't been able to watch his games in person for some months because of personal reasons. Sweeney wasn't able to play in Game 4 because of health problems. The media was told it was a back injury but this time of year, with all the secrecy surrounding aches and pains in the playoffs, it could've been his right toe for all we know. However, Sweeney, with a little help from the medical staff and a great deal of support from his wife, suited up and not only turned in a sensational performance in yesterday's Game 5 against the Sabres but scored a crucial goal that tied the game midway through the first period and it served as a jumping-off point for Boston's 5-3 win. ''He said he wanted to play and that was good enough for me,'' said coach Pat Burns. ''If you're not missing a leg or an arm, you can go.'' Sweeney wasn't missing any extremities, fortunately, and though he's not 100 percent, he certainly played like he was. ''Everyone wants to contribute, it's not about goals, it's about wins,'' said Sweeney. ''I've been fighting something but I'm a little inspired by my wife and what she's gone through in the last little bit. I was happy she was able to come to the game for the first time in a long time and I was happy to see her there. To me, that was all the inspiration I needed.'' Sweeney said he didn't have to talk Burns into letting him back into the lineup. The coach often says that he doesn't want injured players to come back too soon lest he lose them in the first shift of the first period and be shorthanded the rest of the way. With Sweeney, he had no such worry. Sweeney played 22 minutes 25 seconds over 23 shifts. ''I said I wanted to play and he gave me the opportunity,'' said Sweeney. ''It's too hard to watch this time of year. You hope to get a little help from the medical staff and you put it on the line. Everybody put it on the line today. You can look at each other and you can smile at each other because you realize that you played for each other today.'' Sweeney, like many of his teammates, said the Bruins have played the best when the situation seemed to be the worst. ''The resiliency has been there for this club all year long,'' he said. ''It was an inspirational effort by everybody. We had lost three games in a row. Otherwise we're closed out. We wanted an opportunity to go back to Buffalo and to respond to the fact we hadn't played well. We needed to dictate a little more and we did that. Give us credit where it's due, I think we played very well.'' Stepping in, up He had been relegated to an extra player, an insurance policy for the first four games of the series against Buffalo, but yesterday defenseman Mattias Timander stepped in and made a difference. Burns couldn't use Darren Van Impe because he was hurt and he opted to use Timander's young legs over Grant Ledyard's more experienced ones. Timander responded by scoring a goal, giving Boston a 3-1 lead midway through the second period. ''That goal was exciting,'' said Timander, who kept the puck in at the blue line and just let it fly from the point, beating goalie Dominik Hasek. ''I walked to the middle and just shot it. I knew I wanted to go high on him, that's where Don scored two goals. That's where he's a little vulnerable.'' ... Lost amid the excitement over the victory was the fact that defenseman Dave Ellett played only four shifts for 6:04 in the first two periods and missed the third because of an undisclosed injury ... Ray Bourque had six shots in the first period and seven total, a game-high ... The league announced that the Tampa Bay Lightning retained the No. 1 choice in the NHL draft, to be held at the FleetCenter June 26. The Bruins will pick 21st. This story ran on page D08 of the Boston
Globe on 05/17/99. Sweeney picks shot effectively Defenseman finds mark at opportune time By John Vellante, Globe Staff, 04/29/99 It was late in the second period and the Bruins, trailing, 1-0, were firing shot after shot at Carolina goalie Arturs Irbe. But everything they threw at him was turned aside. It was one spectacular save after another and the Bruins were fast becoming one frustrated bunch. Enter Don Sweeney. The veteran defenseman, who has been a model of consistency at the blue line in this grueling playoff series, did something he doesn't usually do. He became offense-minded. With Darren Van Impe and Kent Manderville serving matching roughing penalties and the teams skating four-on-four, Sweeney found the chink in Irbe's armor. He took a pass from Jason Allison and whistled the puck high to the far corner at 18:18, tying the game at 1-1. The Bruins rode the momentum of that goal to a 4-1 win, evening the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, 2-2. It was the only shot of the night for Sweeney, his first goal of the series, and only his seventh in 85 career playoff games. Defense is the name of his game. As big as the goal was, Sweeney wasn't in the locker room after the game to bask in the limelight. He showered, dressed quickly, and left without comment. Heidi Holland, the Bruins director of media relations, would only say Sweeney made a hasty departure ''for personal reasons.'' But coach Pat Burns and Sweeney's teammates were willing to discuss how important the goal was. ''He's a veteran and we don't have too many of those,'' said Burns. ''But he's been around and he knows what the playoffs are all about. He knows that he has to raise his game. ''He goes unnoticed a lot, we don't really notice him, and then all of a sudden he makes a big hit or gets a big goal and makes the right play. That's experience and that's something that's really, really tough to explain in playoff hockey.'' The right play Sweeney made on the tying goal was to stay away from the puck. All four Carolina skaters flowed to the right and left the Bruins defenseman alone on the left side. Allison, who was fed a nifty pass from Dmitri Khristich, saw Sweeney cruising in alone on Irbe and flicked a perfect pass onto his stick. He wasted no time depositing it past Irbe's glove side. ''It was a big goal for us,'' said captain Ray Bourque. ''We had some good opportunities before that and had nothing to show for it. Don kind of burst [Irbe's] bubble. He was playing so well. I'll tell you, that gave us a big boost coming into the dressing room tied at 1-1 and we came out real hard in the third period.'' After Sweeney scored, he skated over to the bench and was greeted with a huge hug from Bourque. ''It was for the goal and for the team,'' said Bourque. ''I was just happy that we scored and tied it up. We're all pulling for each other and we're all here to do one thing and that's win this series.'' Bruins wing Rob DiMaio said the goal was uplifting. ''We were looking for something and playing pretty well and we had some good chances, but the puck wasn't going in,'' said DiMaio. ''Donny jumps in, [Allison] makes a great pass to him, and - boom - the tide turns and off we go. That was the difference. ''And believe me, it's a lot better to be tied at two games each than down, 3-1.'' This story ran on page C07 of the Boston Globe on
04/29/99. Bruins: Win and a loss Boston is 1 point out of fourth place in the Eastern Conference, a point in back of both Montreal and Washington. While the Bruins were happy about staying in the thick of the playoff race, they suffered a substantial blow when defenseman Don Sweeney left the game early in the first period with a broken left shoulder blade. Sweeney could be out for the season, which turned what was a meaningful victory into the sobering reality that a team that lacks depth can ill afford to lose one of its most reliable players. Sweeney was sandwiched along the boards by Islanders right wing Steve Webb and skated right to the bench, knowing he was in trouble. He underwent X-rays, which revealed the break. He is scheduled to be reevaluated today, but the news does not look encouraging. Webb was not penalized for the hit, which saw him come across the ice several strides in order to hit Sweeney. ''It was charging, blatant charging,'' said unhappy coach Pat Burns. ''It doesn't look very good. It could be serious, for the rest of the year. We want more forechecking in the game, I agree, but defensemen will be going down like that all the time. When there are five or six strides a guy can take like that, your defensemen are going to go down. It's never one without the other. They want more forechecking, now you're going to have defensemen going down.'' Sweeney, one of five defensemen as Burns opted to dress 13 forwards, played just 1 minute, 22 seconds. When Sweeney went down so early, Burns called on Ken Baumgartner, a little-used forward with experience on defense, to fill in as well as giving more ice time to Ray Bourque, Dave Ellett, and Kyle McLaren. The loss of Sweeney will impact the team down the stretch. ''We're going to miss him because he's a seasoned veteran,'' said Burns. ''We don't have a whole ton of those guys. Now the question is, how are we going to adapt to finding another one? This is not a situation where you can experiment.'' The trade deadline is three weeks away so don't be surprised if the Bruins go that route. Another option is Jon Rohloff, playing in Providence. ''I'm up against the boards but I'm against the steel stanchion which didn't have any give either,'' said Sweeney, describing how he was hurt. ''I got as ready as I could for the hit, trying to get the puck out. It happens. It doesn't make it any easier to accept but it happens. I went down to pick up my stick and it was a weird feeling. I went back to the bench and I knew right away. I called [trainer Don Del Negro] down and said it's not the way it's supposed to feel.'' Sweeney said what made it harder to take was the fact that defensemen are left so unprotected. ''The forwards in that situation for the most part have carte blanche to come,'' he said. ''You're not going to bait me into saying what you want me to say about it so I'll leave it at that.'' With regard to the game, the Bruins were not very good in the first period. They were outshot, 6-4, in the first 20 minutes with none of the four shots coming from the forwards. Lucky for them, they were only down a goal, courtesy of defenseman Kenny Jonsson at 6:19 on the power play. In the second, Jason Allison at 10:05 and Tim Taylor (two goals) at 11:50 gave Boston a 2-1 lead. Zigmund Palffy tied it with his first of two goals, scoring on the power play at 18:29 with the Islanders on a two-man advantage. Steve Heinze put the Bruins up, 3-2, at 2:06 of the third and Taylor made it a two-goal edge at 2:44. Palffy's power-play goal at 4:11 closed it to within 4-3 but rookie left wing Sergei Samsonov tallied what held up as the winner at 4:40, chasing Islanders goalie Tommy Salo in favor of Wade Flaherty. Trevor Linden closed out the scoring at 17:27. This story ran on page C01 of the Boston
Globe on 03/02/98. |
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BOSTON, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that Jim Benning has been promoted to the position of Assistant General Manager and Don Sweeney has been promoted to the position of Director of Hockey Operations and Player Development.
Don Sweeney, the last remnant of those who played in Boston Garden or in the 1980s, has played his last game as a Bruin. 