Don Sweeney
Encyclopedia
Donald Clarke Sweeney is a former ice hockey
player for the Boston Bruins
of the National Hockey League
. He is presently with the Bruins as the assistant general manager.
. Before joining the Bruins, he played four years at Harvard University
where he was a NCAA
East All-American and an ECAC First Team All-Star in 1988.
He made his NHL
debut during the 1988–89 season, having spent half of the year with the AHL
's Maine Mariners
. The following season he helped the team win the Prince of Wales trophy by scoring six points in 21 games until they finally lost to the Edmonton Oilers
in the Stanley Cup
Finals.
In 1992–1993 Sweeney played all 84 games and put up 36 points and ended up winning the Adams Trophy that year. In both the 94/95, 95/96, 96/97 seasons he was second amongst the defenceman on the team with 22 and 28 points respectively. In 1998 Sweeney missed the last 23 games of the season with a fractured shoulder that he suffered on March 1. The next season Sweeney came out hitting with 205 hits and 85 blocked shots in 81 games. In the 99/00 season he had 301 hits and 84 blocked shots. The following year he had 172 hits in 72 games and in 00/01 season he contributed 18 points in 81 games. In the 02/03 season Sweeney scored only eight points in 67 games as his team nestled into third place in the division. On November 14 of that year he played in his 1,000th NHL game.
He played 15 seasons and 1,051 games in a Bruins uniform, as he was one of just four players (two defencemen) in team history to play in over 1,000 games.
As of July 2006, he ranked third on the Bruins' all-time games played list and among all-time club defencemen, 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. He added nine goals and ten assists for 19 points with 81 penalty minutes in 108 career playoff contests.
He took a job in 2005 as Assistant Dean of Admissions at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. and was also a studio analyst for Bruins games on New England Sports Network
(NESN). He was a color commentator for college hockey games on NESN and CBS College Sports Network.
On June 21, 2006, Don rejoined the Boston Bruins
by being named the team's Director of Player Development, responsible for the scouting of pro league players, as well as tracking the progress of the team's drafted prospects at the AHL, junior hockey and college levels. On July 14, 2007, he was promoted to Director of Hockey Operations and Player Development. In July 2010 he was promoted to the Assistant General Manager. In 2011 his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup after the Boston Bruins
won their first Stanley Cup 39 years.
He and his wife, former figure skater Christine Hough
, have twin sons, Jarrod and Tyler.
Also a distant relative of USA soccer midfielder Tucker Reinhardt.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player for the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. He is presently with the Bruins as the assistant general manager.
Playing career
Sweeney was drafted out of St. Paul's School in Concord, NH, where he played with his school team as a defenceman, round 8: 166th overall, by the Boston BruinsBoston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. Before joining the Bruins, he played four years at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he was a NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
East All-American and an ECAC First Team All-Star in 1988.
He made his NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
debut during the 1988–89 season, having spent half of the year with the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
's Maine Mariners
Maine Mariners
The Maine Mariners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Portland, Maine, USA at the Cumberland County Civic Center.-History:...
. The following season he helped the team win the Prince of Wales trophy by scoring six points in 21 games until they finally lost to the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
in the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Finals.
In 1992–1993 Sweeney played all 84 games and put up 36 points and ended up winning the Adams Trophy that year. In both the 94/95, 95/96, 96/97 seasons he was second amongst the defenceman on the team with 22 and 28 points respectively. In 1998 Sweeney missed the last 23 games of the season with a fractured shoulder that he suffered on March 1. The next season Sweeney came out hitting with 205 hits and 85 blocked shots in 81 games. In the 99/00 season he had 301 hits and 84 blocked shots. The following year he had 172 hits in 72 games and in 00/01 season he contributed 18 points in 81 games. In the 02/03 season Sweeney scored only eight points in 67 games as his team nestled into third place in the division. On November 14 of that year he played in his 1,000th NHL game.
He played 15 seasons and 1,051 games in a Bruins uniform, as he was one of just four players (two defencemen) in team history to play in over 1,000 games.
As of July 2006, he ranked third on the Bruins' all-time games played list and among all-time club defencemen, 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. He added nine goals and ten assists for 19 points with 81 penalty minutes in 108 career playoff contests.
He took a job in 2005 as Assistant Dean of Admissions at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. and was also a studio analyst for Bruins games on New England Sports Network
New England Sports Network
The New England Sports Network, or NESN [NESS-en], is a regional cable television network that covers the six New England states except Fairfield County, Connecticut and Southbury, Connecticut, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut which is covered by New York City sports networks...
(NESN). He was a color commentator for college hockey games on NESN and CBS College Sports Network.
On June 21, 2006, Don rejoined the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
by being named the team's Director of Player Development, responsible for the scouting of pro league players, as well as tracking the progress of the team's drafted prospects at the AHL, junior hockey and college levels. On July 14, 2007, he was promoted to Director of Hockey Operations and Player Development. In July 2010 he was promoted to the Assistant General Manager. In 2011 his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup after the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
won their first Stanley Cup 39 years.
He and his wife, former figure skater Christine Hough
Christine Hough
Christine "Tuffy" Hough is a retired Canadian pair skater. With partner Doug Ladret, she won the 1988 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.-Career:...
, have twin sons, Jarrod and Tyler.
Also a distant relative of USA soccer midfielder Tucker Reinhardt.