Bruins’ Sweeney gets new deal as he seeks coach

BOSTON — All these wins and playoff appearances weren’t sufficient for Bruce Cassidy to maintain his job as Boston Bruins coach. However they earned common supervisor Don Sweeney a contract extension.

The Bruins stated on Monday they’ve signed Sweeney to a multiyear extension, six weeks after they misplaced within the first spherical of the playoffs and three weeks after he fired Cassidy.

“Beneath his administration, the Boston Bruins have been one of many winningest franchises within the league and a perennial playoff contender yr in and yr out,” CEO Charlie Jacobs stated. “Whereas we acknowledge there may be work to be executed to attain the final word aim of bringing the Stanley Cup again to Boston, I am assured that Don’s dedication to being best-in-class on and off the ice will assist us climb that mountain as soon as once more.”

Beneath Sweeney, the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Remaining in 2019, had the most effective document within the league the following yr and tallied a minimum of 100 factors in 4 of the previous 5 seasons.

After all, the identical might be stated of Cassidy, who was fired on June 6. The 2020 Jack Adams Award winner has since taken over the Vegas Golden Knights; the Bruins stay and not using a coach.

The Bruins famous in a launch that the staff is one in all simply 4 within the Jap Convention to achieve the playoffs in every of the previous six seasons.

However staff president Cam Neely credited that to Sweeney, not Cassidy.

“I’ve seen firsthand his tireless work ethic relating to all sides of entrance workplace administration,” Neely stated. “He stays dedicated to doing no matter it takes to provide the Boston Bruins the most effective probability to win each season.”

That stated, Boston has misplaced in both the primary or the second spherical every of the final three seasons and is in an Atlantic Division the place they should face the likes of the Florida Panthers, the Presidents’ Trophy winners this season, and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the three-time defending Jap Convention champions.

Sweeney, 55, is fourth on the Bruins’ all-time checklist for video games performed and ranks within the prime 10 of the franchise’s’ profession lists for assists and factors by a defenseman. He joined the staff’s entrance workplace in 2006 as director of participant growth and moved up the ranks earlier than being promoted to common supervisor in 2015.

The Related Press contributed to this report.