BOSTON -- He was coach when Bobby Orr made his celebratory
flop during the Bruins' 1970 championship, the general manager who
brought Hall of Famers such as Ray Bourque to Boston and president
as the team slipped into mediocrity over the past decade.
On Wednesday, Harry Sinden became the latest figure in the
team's offseason shake-up.
"I can't control perception. I don't think I ever have over the
years been able to control the fact ... that somehow I was pulling
all the strings in some people's minds. It was totally false."
Harry Sinden
Sinden resigned as president after 17 years to become an adviser
to team owner Jeremy Jacobs.
Sinden had become synonymous with the franchise after more than
40 years with the Bruins. But the team is reorganizing, hiring
Peter Chiarelli as general manager and Dave Lewis as coach as it
tries to win its first Stanley Cup since 1972.
"Things evolve and change and the Bruins have to change with
it," said Charlie Jacobs, the Bruins executive vice president and
son of the owner.
The 74-year-old Sinden said it was time to step down, as he's
been gradually moving into an advisory capacity -- even in his job
as president running the team's business operations.
"My role as president, as most people would perceive it, is
that you would be in charge and running those operations," he
said. "Well, I'm just not doing that anymore."
He added that he needed to step aside so people know the new
management team was running the Bruins, not him.
"I can't control perception. I don't think I ever have over the
years been able to control the fact ... that somehow I was pulling
all the strings in some people's minds. It was totally false,"
Sinden said.
"Whether or not I can convince people that that's not the case,
it wasn't the case and won't be the case now, I don't know."
Sinden acknowledged he'd prefer to be part of the team's daily
operations, "but I would prefer to be 25 years younger too than I
am."
The team said it would not hire a new president, but instead
align all hockey operations under Chiarelli.
Sinden began in the Bruins organization in 1961 as a minor
league coach in Kingston, Ontario, and became head coach in Boston
in the 1966-67 season. In his fourth and final full season as
coach, he led the Bruins to the 1970 Stanley Cup, their first in 29
years.
Sinden spent the next two years in private business before
taking over on Oct. 5, 1972, as general manager, a job he held
until Nov. 1, 2000. He also served as president since 1988 and, in
2002, began overseeing operations of the Bruins' home, the TD
Banknorth Garden, as its chairman.
In the last decade, as the Bruins failed to win a championship,
critics charged that Jeremy Jacobs, with Sinden doing his bidding,
did not want to spend a lot of money on players. But with a salary
cap that went into effect before last season, the Bruins are likely
to spend close to the maximum allowed.
In recent years, Sinden's role in making deals decreased and he
began serving more as an adviser to his successor as GM, Mike
O'Connell, who traded star center Joe Thornton to San Jose early
last season. Thornton went on to become the NHL's most valuable
player.
In March, Sinden fired O'Connell, and the team missed the
playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Chiarelli, former
assistant GM for Ottawa, was hired in late March. Lewis, former
Detroit Red Wings coach, was hired to replace Mike Sullivan in
June.
Sinden was reluctant to talk about his legacy, but spoke of some
highlights in his career, including the Stanley Cup championship,
the Bruins' 1988 playoff win over Montreal after years of futility
against the Canadiens and Cam Neely's Hall of Fame induction.
Sinden acknowledged his decision to resign as president came
with some sadness.
"I have such great memories, but you know I'm still involved,
I'm going to be involved," he said.
"I haven't reached the point yet that I can say, 'Well, that
was a great trip, thanks.' I don't think I'm quite there yet."