Harry Sinden

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Sinden's coaching tenure began with a rebuilding phase, but the acquisition of Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield from the Chicago Black Hawks transformed the roster. By his third season, the Bruins had accumulated 100 points, finishing just behind Montreal. In 1969–70, Sinden led the team to a Stanley Cup victory, beating St. Louis in a four-game sweep. However, despite this success, friction with management over a mid-season raise offer led him to retire at age 37 just days after winning the Cup. He spent two years away from hockey, working in home construction and publishing a story in Sports Illustrated about his departure. In June 1972, he was named head coach and manager of Team Canada for the Summit Series. Leading a team that started slow, Sinden orchestrated a comeback capped by Paul Henderson's series-winning goal with 34 seconds remaining in the final game against the Soviets.

In Their Own Story

Following the adrenaline of the Summit Series, Sinden returned to Boston within days, signing a five-year deal as general manager. He succeeded Milt Schmidt, who moved to an executive director role before becoming the inaugural GM for the Washington Capitals. Sinden's tenure as GM was defined by longevity and consistency; he set the North American record with 29 consecutive seasons in the playoffs. His teams reached the finals five times (1974, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1990), though they lost each time, and secured two regular-season first-place finishes in 1983 and 1990. He became the first NHL general manager to reach 1,000 wins on October 17, 1995, finishing with a record of 1170–763–301. His leadership was not without controversy; in 1996–97, he was fined $5,000 for verbal abuse toward a video-replay official and later refused to honor a salary-arbitration award for Dmitri Khristich, allowing the scorer to leave without compensation.

Reader's Guide

Sinden's playing career began with the Toronto Marlboros bantams before he joined the Oshawa Generals (1949–1953) and later the Whitby Dunlops. He earned a silver medal with Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. After being placed on Montreal's negotiation list without an agreement, he signed as player-assistant coach for Kingston Frontenacs in 1960–61. He was named EPHL top defenseman in 1962 and league MVP in 1963. His final playing season was with the Oklahoma City Blazers in 1965–66, where he coached them to a league championship. In his executive career, Sinden added the title of club president in December 1988 and served as chief executive until retiring to a consulting role in the summer of 2006. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 in the builders category and received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1999.

Did You Know?

• Sinden was the youngest coach in the NHL at age 33 when he took over the Bruins in May 1966.
• He kept a tape-recorded diary throughout the 1972 Summit Series, which became the book 'Hockey Showdown'.
• His name was inscribed on the Stanley Cup for a second time in 2011, 41 years after his first title as a coach.
• He served as the godfather of Gord Downie, the late lead singer of The Tragically Hip.