"Mr. Jacobs decided that everyone would celebrate my birthday at the NHL Board of Governors Meeting," Sinden said, chuckling at the memory of the 2006 meeting. "So he ordered a great big cake, and at the end of the meeting he brings it in. It was about 18 inches across, enough to feed everyone.
"But then I looked at the writing on the cake and it says, 'Happy 75th Birthday, Harry.' The problem was, I was only 74. I'm saying, 'Wait a minute, it's bad enough being 74. …' I wasn't going to eat it, and neither was anybody else. So they sent it back."
On Monday, Sinden, 85 (or 86, by Jacobs' accounting) will be in Toronto for Jacobs' induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders category. Sinden was inducted into the Hall in 1983.
The relationship between Sinden and Jacobs goes back to 1975, when Jacobs bought the Bruins.
Sinden has done it all with the Bruins, from joining the organization in 1960 in Kingston, Ontario, as a player/coach in the minor leagues, to moving up to become Bruins coach in 1966-67 with a rookie defenseman named Bobby Orr in his lineup. He coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 1970, and then spent 28 seasons as general manager, and 17 with the dual title of president.