Bruins PR and Harry Sinden Moving On

This morning Harry Sinden announced he was stepping down as the president of the Boston Bruins. The Globe article noted, "The team said it would not hire a new president, but instead align all hockey operations under new general manager Peter Chiarelli." Um...read between the lines and it says the Bruins are grooming Charlie Jacobs for the position. Then again, maybe it’s just me.

Hopefully the Bruins PR and their outside agency will take advantage of this news to generate interest in the team. Bruins fans are psyched about the new player additions and the changes to the front office. The Bruins need to get Sinden to talk to the major media players about his career with the Bruins, why he left at this time and what the future holds for the team. Note – he has not left the team officially, but will be a special assistant. Other than the Red Sox falling out of playoff contention and Pats preseason, there is not a lot going on with the local sports scene.

As the Bruins ramp up interest in this year's squad, I really hope they revise their marketing strategy. There is no need to spend all the money on traditional advertising. The hardcore fans are always going to come to the games. The Bruins need to work to recruit the average sports fans. How should they do this?

* Set up a blog where players and management can discuss items, upcoming events and discount tickets to future games. We all know the PR department will write it, but it’s a start.

* Get the new players out within the community ASAP. They need to create experiences for fans so they will want to support the Bruins in the future. Have them walk down Newbury St or go to Faneuil Hall.

* Last, they should consider creating a FanFest event during the preseason at the Garden. Invite the fans and all the local media to generate interest and to purchase tickets to the upcoming season.