Boston Globe Sitting Down With Cam Neely

[Bruin4]

Swap Orr in for Bourque in your story and that is mine as well. I remember seeing Bobby play on the shitty little B&W TV when I was a small kid in NH (and my dad took me to a couple games at the Garden too) but had no real sense of the greatness I was seeing. I loved Adam Oates and I liked Craig Janney a lot, too.

And to keep the thread on track with the title, is it just me, or is Cam stepping up a good bit more this season than he has for the past few?

Can't for get Middleton for me anyways. The guy was electric and clutch!

But back on topic :
Compared to Sweeney, YES !!!

 

[Dr Hook]

Compared to Sweeney, YES !!!

I am cool with Sweeney stepping back (9 times out of 10 he just talks in corporate babblespeak anyway) so long as Cam is getting out there. Someone from management needs to periodically meet with the media and give real updates about the team from their perspective.

 

[Hookslide]

So your saying he put all his EGGS in one basket, but fell short and spent all his dough on assets that didn't pan out and now he's about to fall of the cliff so he's trying to tear it all down to the roots?

Look my points might be way off base, but Sweeney as a habit of waiting and waiting, that has been one of criticisms of his off-season approach, he seems too never build his roster in the offseason, and than he waits until TDL, and he waits until the final gun to make a move. I just frustrated with his style. Look we all have players that we like and don't want to see them moved, but lets say he was proactive and move a Charlie Coyle, 2- 3 years before, maybe you don't get haul for him, but now you started to get younger, and maybe have a little more cap space and you pick up an asset that can be moved in a bigger deal. The reason why I picked Coyle, he would be one of those guys I would be pissed about moving and my rants would be all ver this board..........bottom line tough shit for me, do whats best to keep his team a winner.

 

[Bruin4]

Look my points might be way off base, but Sweeney as a habit of waiting and waiting, that has been one of criticisms of his off-season approach, he seems too never build his roster in the offseason, and than he waits until TDL, and he waits until the final gun to make a move. I just frustrated with his style. Look we all have players that we like and don't want to see them moved, but lets say he was proactive and move a Charlie Coyle, 2- 3 years before, maybe you don't get haul for him, but now you started to get younger, and maybe have a little more cap space and you pick up an asset that can be moved in a bigger deal. The reason why I picked Coyle, he would be one of those guys I would be pissed about moving and my rants would be all ver this board..........bottom line tough shit for me, do whats best to keep his team a winner.

Have you been hibernating during the off seasons and missed all the FA signings he made during that time?

The deadline deals I can't fault him , he was trying to win. The off season deals (signings) the majority of them were atrocious. Also I didn't mind the coyle deal at all.

 

[Hookslide]

Have you been hibernating during the off seasons and missed all the FA signings he made during that time?

The deadline deals I can't fault him , he was trying to win. The off season deals (signings) the majority of them were atrocious. Also I didn't mind the coyle deal at all.

I don't mind the Coyle deal either.

 

[DKH]

Received nothing , for Bergeron, Krejci, Hall, Bertuzzi, DeBrusk, Hathaway, Orlov, now I know retirement comes into play here, but that is what I am trying to say, Sweeney never prepared for those retirements, and was able to sign some additions that he made when he went all in, and could retain what he had in Hall........I know people don't like Bill Belechik, but lets be honest he might have moved on from players to soon, but rarely too late. Might not be the best comparison, but my point is if Sweeney made some moves as needed, and not this clean sweep he just made at this past TDL.

I wish Sweeney didn’t go for it in 22-23 & instead of going all in sold everyone and we would already be 3 years in on the 8-14 year rebuild

Sweeney screwed us

 

[bwunderlich]

Holy shit are you hilarious

You remind me of Martin Mull on Fernwood Tonight

I’m loving your takes - keep them coming

Show was Great!!

When Tom Waits came on. OMG

 

[Midship]

Go back on Felger and Mazz you coward Seabass

 

[TD Charlie]

I started watching the tail end of the Neely era, and he had an aura around him. I always had a soft spot for Adam Oates though. I just know in retrospect that I underappreciated Ray Bourque. I knew he was good but I didn't have a sophisticated knowledge of hockey as a 9 year old and only looking back now can I see how elite he really was

Bobby Orr was some kind of Paul Bunyan/Easter Bunny mythical creature to my generation. We heard all these stories and legends from our parents' generation but that was before YouTube so we just had to take their word for it.

Nailed it.

I idolized Neely when I was a kid. Then he called it quits right when I was getting old enough to really enjoy hockey. Awful timing. There was never another guy even remotely close to him in my "coming of age" era. High school came and went, college came and went, and Lucic hit the scene. We knew he would never be Neely...but it was the closest we'd ever get. Thus, the legend of Lucic was born in Boston. Until he f***ed it up. Badly.

Orr, who's that? It's all make-believe. My father was 19 or so when Orr retired. So even the stories I get from him are wishy washy. The 70s were a wild time apparently.

Now I'm angry with the fact Neely and Orr had to retire as early as they did. f***.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Show was Great!!

When Tom Waits came on. OMG

Tom Waits makes everything better.

 

[neelynugs]

I wish Sweeney didn’t go for it in 22-23

still didn't like that they spent all that capital on rentals that weren't going to be here long term.
obviously they should've added pieces to an historic club, but trade 1sts for guys under team
control. water under the bridge now.

i'm not a sweeney fan but aside from marchand, he did a good job at the deadline. and i don't
know what happened with marchand behind the scenes, so hard to judge.

 

[DKH]

still didn't like that they spent all that capital on rentals that weren't going to be here long term.
obviously they should've added pieces to an historic club, but trade 1sts for guys under team
control. water under the bridge now.

i'm not a sweeney fan but aside from marchand, he did a good job at the deadline. and i don't
know what happened with marchand behind the scenes, so hard to judge.

There is a big Behind the B coming in September

 

[The Andrew Peeke Fan]

Fire this invalid

 

[NeelyDan]

People calling cam a coward in response him, you know, facing the music better be careful or they’ll get elected

 

[What The Puck]

This is the worst Boston Bruins hockey I have ever seen and that includes the late 90s. I don't know how this is going to work with a management staff that has overvalued veterans for a long time (and overpaid for them). They don't know how to evaluate young players and certainly don't know how to pay them, either. I just don't see a rebuild as being within their skill set. This management team inherited from Chiarelli's crew, so it wasn't something they actually had to build. They have been living off of the core for a long time. They don't have that anymore and have demonstrated questionable judgment in drafting, so I'm definitely worried about the upcoming draft.

With a top 10 pick, they could be picking outside the top 10 based on their instincts, which haven't been good. All of you hoping for the tank must realize that Bruins management outsmarts themselves at the draft with regularity. You might not get that top 10 pick even though you have it. Don could go off the board or trade back, especially considering there are a lot of centers available.

If you don't get the center you want, and you are not confident in that center, maybe he trades back and you get a middle first and a second in your tank year. It's more than possible.

 

[bbfan419]

Cam my second favorite Bruins behind Orr

Same

 

[quietbruinfan]

I am glad that Cam spoke and that he can accept criticism. I am glad he can use a couple of generalities to make himself somewhat clear.

However, he seems not to appreciate the difficulty of their situation. It seems like they want to take the same sort of measures to achieve the same mediocre playoff results.

This is a full rebuild and it should be cup driven-not driven by having regular season success as a goal. It is hard to say how much he is holding back, but I still do not think he gets it. One of the advantages of a full rebuild is you can try and build a team without the weaknesses they had, when you build from the ground up.

 

[Kate08]

I have historically generally disliked KPD's prose/writing style (e.g., the constant flourishes, recycling of the same cliches, etc.), but even I must admit that his writings this year have been pretty damn good. No, those idiosyncrasies have not vanished, However, it feels like he's writing more for the fan than himself this year.

Neely didn't say anything in this article I didn't expect from him, but I want to hear from him at this time KPD's prior article eviscerating ownership was outstanding and not something the local Bruins media has had the balls to do in recent years.

I don't know if I'm making sense. Long story short, I think his writing has been great this year.

KPD didn’t write this article or interview Cam for it. Jim McBride did.

 

[22Brad Park]

Sitting down with Bruins president Cam Neely: ‘I think everything is on the table as far as trying to improve the club’ - The Boston Globe

Neely calls it like he sees it, and he hasn’t seen a lot that he’s liked this season.

www.bostonglobe.com

By Jim McBride Globe Staff,Updated March 27, 2025, 5:00 a.m.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Cam Neely isn’t one to sugarcoat his feelings.

The Bruins president wore his emotions on his sleeves during his 13-year Hall of Fame playing career, particularly his 10-year run in Boston when he was one of the league’s preeminent and most feared power forwards.

He has been similarly emotional since joining the front office, first as vice president in 2007 and elevating to president in 2010.
He calls it like he sees it and he hasn’t seen a lot that he’s liked in a season that included a coaching change, the captain traded, and a slide that reached seven games Wednesday night following a 6-2 rout at the hands of the Ducks.

“There isn’t really too much I can say about liking during the season right now,” Neely said. “It’s just really about how we finish and seeing what guys may want to step up and show us that they’re NHL players.”

In an exclusive sitdown with the Globe prior to Wednesday’s game, Neely touched on several subjects, including the trade deadline, the reaction of fans at home, criticism, the coaching staff, ownership, and the future of the organization.

It was a unique trade deadline for the Bruins and Neely, who have been to the playoffs in eight straight seasons. This season, the franchise traded captain Brad Marchand, along with fellow veterans Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle, and Trent Frederic.

“It was difficult. It was something we hadn’t had to do since I’ve been president,” said Neely. “So normally we’re adding, not subtracting, so it was a little bit more challenging. Those guys have been around for quite some time and they’re really good people.”

Following an initial bump, the club started losing and fans expressed their displeasure with loud boos during several recent home games.

“Listen, it happens. It’s happened for decades. The fans are smart in our building. They know the game,” said Neely. “I feel like the only time they really boo is when they don’t like the effort that’s put out. You can play bad hockey, but you can work hard and put the effort in.”

From that perspective, Neely understands the fan reaction.

“Yeah, I mean, they have the right to respond how they want. They come in and support us. We have a very passionate fan base and that’s one of the great things about playing in Boston is the passion of our fans and the bad comes with the good at times,” he said. “More often than not it’s been pretty good at our home building, but this year’s been a little bit of a challenge for us.”

Neely has learned to tune out criticism of the front office, but it still has an effect on him.

“I don’t really pay attention to it too much, but there’s enough people in my life that do, and just from a family perspective it’s tough,” he said. “But for myself, I get it’s part of the job. It’s easy for people to call into a radio station or click behind a keyboard, but again, that’s what makes the world go around.”

Neely said he and general manager Don Sweeney said they recently talked with interim coach Joe Sacco and his assistants to let them know their efforts during a difficult season have not gone unnoticed.

“I mentioned to the whole coaching staff recently that Don and I certainly appreciate the job that they’re doing. It hasn’t been easy for them,” Neely said. “Again, it’s something we’re not really accustomed to here. We’re usually playing games, meaningful games, at this time of the year and getting ready for playoffs, and I think Joe stepped in and early on we were playing very well. We had a pretty good record and then we just stopped playing the way we should play for a stretch there and it really hurt us, but not the easiest situation for Joe to come in. But he’s handled it very well.”

Neely said Sacco “will be in the mix” when he and Sweeney have offseason discussions about what direction they will go in a coaching search.

Neely agrees with Sweeney’s post-trade deadline description that the Bruins need a retool and not a rebuild.

“I don’t think we need to really strip this down,” Neely said. “We moved some significant pieces, obviously, at the deadline. Hopefully we can replace some of those pieces and get us back to where we want to be, which is competing for Stanley Cups, being a team that has a chance to win everything.”

With the assets acquired from the deadline deals, Neely indicated the club will look at all options when it comes to developing draft picks and/or putting some selections in a trade package.

“I think everything is on the table as far as trying to improve the club,” he said. “Obviously some picks are years away from getting into your lineup, so you’ve got to evaluate that and evaluate where you are with your team, but everything’s going to be on the table.”

Neely said he appreciates the support he receives from ownership.

“Well, it is certainly helpful. There’s no question. I mean, if you’re unsure of where ownership is with regards to the job that you’re doing, then the communication obviously isn’t there,” said Neely. “So, Don and I certainly appreciate Charlie and Mr. [Jeremy] Jacobs. I mean, I talk to them on a daily basis about the team. They’re always asking questions about the direction and how things are going and about individual players. But yeah, in times like this, it’s certainly nice to have ownership support you and what you’ve done and what you’re continuing to try to do.”

As for the future, Neely said the goal is to get back to the success of the past, including that of the last half-dozen seasons.

“I get the frustration about where we’re at this year and the fact that we haven’t won, I understand that that’s what we’re in the business to do, is to win Stanley Cups,” he said. “But if you really look at the last half-dozen years or so, I mean, we lose Game 7 in the finals in 2019. In ‘20, we’re leading the league, and the world shuts down [because of COVID]. We end up in the bubble and everybody remembers that. In ‘23, we’ve got the best record in the history of the National Hockey League, and we can’t get out of the first round.

“Those are things that happen. Our sport is not always kind. Things happen, but again, this is not taken away with the fact that we just haven’t won. But I think it’s been some pretty damn good hockey that’s happened in Boston over the last five or six years. And we want to get back to that.”

Not even sure how I feel about this.The last paragraph was true but it's about winning the Cup at the end of the day.Not saying it's easy but failure is failure .This is one of the worst teams I have seen in Boston in my lifetime.Anyhow ,whatever happens we have no say I guess .

 

[Patdud]

Not even sure how I feel about this.The last paragraph was true but it's about winning the Cup at the end of the day.Not saying it's easy but failure is failure .This is one of the worst teams I have seen in Boston in my lifetime.Anyhow ,whatever happens we have no say I guess .

Yeah last time I saw a team this bad there was some glimmer of future in it. this team is the sum of draft mistakes finally catching up to them.


also f*** Cam, hes a coward. surprised he grew a pair to do a sit down since he dodges interviews left and right on the regular.

 

[Therick67]

Yeah last time I saw a team this bad there was some glimmer of future in it. this team is the sum of draft mistakes finally catching up to them.


also f*** Cam, hes a coward. surprised he grew a pair to do a sit down since he dodges interviews left and right on the regular.

I'm not the biggest fan of Cam the President, but the guy was a warrior who put it on the line every night and calling him a coward doesn't sit right with me..

 

[jgatie]

Yeah last time I saw a team this bad there was some glimmer of future in it. this team is the sum of draft mistakes finally catching up to them.


also f*** Cam, hes a coward. surprised he grew a pair to do a sit down since he dodges interviews left and right on the regular.

Cam isn't a coward. He did interviews on 98.5 for years until Felger and his idiot minions tried to catch him in a "gotcha" question one too many times. I'd have told them to f*** off too if they asked me the nonsense they asked him.

 

[Bruin4]

Not even sure how I feel about this.The last paragraph was true but it's about winning the Cup at the end of the day.Not saying it's easy but failure is failure .This is one of the worst teams I have seen in Boston in my lifetime.Anyhow ,whatever happens we have no say I guess .

In their defense,In late February or early March it became their game plan to move in that direction. Unfortunate how it got here, but it needed to be done.

The one statement from Neely that worries me more than a little was when he said: “I think everything is on the table as far as trying to improve the club,”

Its a loaded response from him because in the past the majority of Sweeney off season exploits have been a far cry from being successful. I don't know if I should cringe with the thought on what move he's going to do next in attempt to improve this team only to set them back even further or if I should be on the edge of my seat with the expectation that he finally is going to make the right moves moving forward.

 

[Patdud]

Cam isn't a coward. He did interviews on 98.5 for years until Felger and his idiot minions tried to catch him in a "gotcha" question one too many times. I'd have told them to f*** off too if they asked me the nonsense they asked him.

Cam dodged the media during the Mitchell Miller episode until the blow back came all the way from the commissioner. Sent out his sock puppet Don and even left his players on the vine to have to answer questions about it.

Made a terrible call and couldn't look the fans in the eye over it? all respect for him went out the window after that, add in his absence from doing solo interviews for any form of media outside a select end of season zooms? yeah I said what I said.

 

[Ludwig Fell Down]

still didn't like that they spent all that capital on rentals that weren't going to be here long term.
obviously they should've added pieces to an historic club, but trade 1sts for guys under team
control. water under the bridge now.

i'm not a sweeney fan but aside from marchand, he did a good job at the deadline. and i don't
know what happened with marchand behind the scenes, so hard to judge.

I'm not a fan of him taking on Korpisalo and contract or Middlestad and contract. Both are average at best in their role, and paid about 20-30% higher than what they are earing based on their play, IMO.

I have no idea if there was a deal to be had with the Devils in the offseason, but I feel that Sweeney held his cards too long when dealing Ullmark.