( Photo credit: Boston Bruins Alumni | bostonbruinsalumni.com )
By: Andrew Lindroth | Follow me on Twitter @andrewlindrothh
Happy 53rd Birthday To Former Boston Bruins Forward Tim Sweeney!
Tim Sweeney was born on April 12th, 1967, in Boston, Massachusetts. Growing up in Weymouth, he began playing for his high-school team, the Weymouth-North Maroons, as a 16-year-old forward. He played in 45 games throughout two seasons and racked up an impressive 65-82-147 numbers. After graduating, the 5’11, 185-pound left-winger was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.
Sweeney decided to continue his education and committed to Boston College in 1985. He suited up for the Boston College Eagles all four years and appeared in 128 games and posted 77-77-154 numbers before graduating in 1989. After receiving his education, Sweeney reported to the International Hockey League (IHL) to play for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. At the end of his rookie season, Sweeney was awarded the league’s Ken McKenzie Trophy for Outstanding American-born Rookie of the Year, after posting 46-51-97 numbers. The following season in 1990-1991, the forward played in just 31 games before being called up for his first National Hockey League action with the Calgary Flames. That season, Sweeney suited up for his first 42 games and notched seven goals and 16 points.
At the start of the 1991-1992 season, Sweeney was present in the Flames’ lineup for only 11 games before committing to the United States National Team and the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team for the rest of the season. During the Olympics, Sweeney played eight games, producing four goals and three assists.
On September 16th, 1992, Sweeney signed to the Boston Bruins as a free agent. During the 1992-1993 season, he spent the majority of his time in the American Hockey League (AHL) playing for the Providence Bruins. The Boston-native suited up for 60 games in Providence and posted 46-51-99 numbers before being called up to Boston. The forward would go on to play only 14 games with the Bruins that season, before being claimed by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1993 Expansion Draft. Sweeney played for Anaheim from 1993-1995, appearing in 91 games and posting 17-28-45 numbers.
After Sweeney’s contract with Anaheim expired in 1995, the forward then signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent. He agreed to a two-year term, wearing the Spoked-B from 1995-1997, playing in 77 games and posting 18-19-37 numbers before hitting the free-agent market again. Sweeney signed to the New York Rangers as a free agent in 1997, scoring 11 goals and 29 points in 56 games played.
After his one-year term with the Rangers expired, Sweeney found it difficult to sign with an NHL team and opted to sign with the Providence Bruins (AHL) as a free agent in 1998. The left-winger would play just two games with the club before officially announcing his retirement from the hockey world on October 11th, 1998.
Throughout his eight-year NHL career, Sweeney played in 291 games and recorded 55-83-128 numbers. Happy birthday, Tim Sweeney!
Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 174 that we recorded below on 4-12-20! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher
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