This season didnt end the way the Bruins had hoped, but its still been quite a year for the Original Six hockey franchise.
The Boston Bruins were reminded of that Wednesday night when they were awarded with the Sports Team of the Year Award by the SportsBusiness Journal at their Fifth Annual Sports Business Awards. The award was presented at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square at the awards ceremony designed to celebrate excellence in sports business.
The Sports Team of the Year Award was awarded for excellence and outstanding achievement for the time period from March 1, 2011 through February 29, 2012. Each year the award honors one sports franchise based on an evaluation of excellence, growth, creativity, innovation, sound planning, implementation and outcomes. The award was decided by a panel of editors, writers and researchers from the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily judged entries.
The Bruins obviously captured the Stanley Cup in 2011 as one of the biggest single criteria within the award, but the franchise also saw record growth of revenue in ticket sales, retail sales and corporate sponsorships. The Bruins also launched DEN (Digital Entertainment Network) as an interactive online presence merging social media with interactive website options for more than 2 million fans per month that visit their website.
The Bruins Foundation charitable arm of the franchise also reached record highs in fundraising while donating 1.6 million to various charities in 2012 through grants and in-game fundraising.
The Bruins were nominated for the award alongside the Dayton Dragons, Sporting Kansas City, Stewart-Haas Racing and the Texas Rangers.