BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Bruins apparently settled on their next head coach a while ago. Finding a time for the announcement seemed to be more of a problem.

Although it has been widely reported that the Bruins will name Mike Sullivan their new head coach, the team has not confirmed it.

An announcement was scheduled for Wednesday, then postponed. The team has now scheduled an announcement for Monday, after this weekend’s NHL draft.

Bruins spokeswoman Heidi Holland said Friday that she could not confirm that Sullivan was the choice.

But many news outlets, including The Associated Press, reported earlier this week that Sullivan was the choice for the team’s seventh head coach in 10 years.

Sullivan played one season for the Bruins and spent last season as coach of their minor-league team and an assistant coach for the NHL club. He has been considered the front-runner since the position became vacant two months ago.

General manager Mike O’Connell fired coach Robbie Ftorek on March 18 and took over behind the bench himself. He also named Sullivan, then head coach of the Providence Bruins of the AHL, as an assistant coach.

During practices with Boston, Sullivan handled many of the drills. The team went 3-3-3 in the regular season under O’Connell. After a first-round loss to New Jersey in the playoffs, O’Connell said he wouldn’t be back as coach and Sullivan returned to coach Providence in the playoffs.

Other names that have been mentioned in connection with the job are former New York Islanders coach Peter Laviolette, and two employees of the Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils – assistant coach Bobby Carpenter and consultant Larry Robinson.

Sullivan, 35, spent 10 seasons in the NHL as a center, scoring 53 goals and 80 assists in 667 games. He was captain of the Boston University hockey team in 1989-90, then played for San Jose, Calgary, Boston and Phoenix before retiring after the 2000-2001 season.

AP-ES-06-20-03 2005EDT