Bruins general manager Don Sweeney named senior manager of Team Canada

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will soon be at the helm of one of the most talented hockey rosters assembled in recent memory.

Longtime Bruins executive named general manager of Team Canada for the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and assistant general manager of Canada’s Olympic men’s ice hockey team for the Games 2026 Olympics, Friday.

“I am both honored and grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of Hockey Canada,” Sweeney said Friday, via a press release provided by the team. “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 bring together the best teams to proudly represent Canada and compete at the highest level to achieve one goal. I would like to thank the Jacobs family and Cam (Neeley) for their support in my role with Hockey Canada.

Sweeney will have a wealth of riches to choose from when it comes to building Team Canada’s squads for the 4 Nations showdown and the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Team Canada is expected to be led by familiar names like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar and Connor Bedard – while Bruins captain Brad Marchand will finally aim to earn a spot on an Olympic team in 2026.

The 4 Nations Showdown will be an NHL-led international tournament that will serve as a precursor to the 2026 Olympic Games. Scheduled over a nine-day period, from February 12 to 20, 2025, the tournament will feature four teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

According to Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, Boston and Montreal will serve as host cities for the 4 Nations showdown.

Sweeney and Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill will serve as assistants on Doug Armstrong’s staff for Canada’s 2026 men’s Olympic team.

Sweeney is in his ninth season as general manager of the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins. He won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in 2018-19 and led the team to its eighth straight playoff appearance this season.

Several low-cost signings last offseason for a cap-strapped Bruins team worked out well for Sweeney, headlined by Danton Heinen and Morgan Geekie.