Alex Gimenez's passing has left the Bruins organization grieving, with head coach Marco Sturm and the club facing a deeply personal loss.
Boston announced Friday that Gimenez, a member of its hockey operations department, had passed away. General manager Don Sweeney issued the statement on behalf of the organization.
Gimenez joined the Bruins in July as Director of Hockey Operations, Collective Bargaining Agreement, making his time inside the organization painfully brief.
The Bruins described Gimenez as intelligent, thoughtful and a person of strong character. Those qualities, the club said, were evident from the moment he arrived.
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Sweeney's statement focused far more on the person than the position. Gimenez had already earned the respect of those around him despite only recently joining Boston.
The message carried the weight of an organization dealing with a loss that reaches well beyond the rink, roster decisions or the daily demands of hockey operations.
Bruins remember the person behind the role
Boston said Gimenez was a wonderful person who would be greatly missed, a line that showed how quickly he had connected with colleagues inside the organization.
His role placed him in an important part of the Bruins' hockey operations structure, with collective bargaining agreement matters attached directly to his responsibilities.
But Friday's announcement wasn't about titles or front-office duties. The Bruins centered their message on Gimenez's character and the relationships he built throughout his career.
For Sweeney, Sturm and the rest of the organization, the timing makes the news especially difficult. Training camp preparations normally bring energy and focus back toward the ice.
Instead, the Bruins are carrying a much heavier reality into that period, with one of their colleagues no longer alongside them.
Boston closed its statement by sending its thoughts to Gimenez's family, friends and loved ones during what the organization called an incredibly difficult time.
For a franchise built around the daily closeness of players, coaches and staff, this is the kind of loss that reaches every corner of the organization.
Should the Bruins honor Alex Gimenez during the season?
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