Podcast (Audio) THE HOCKEY NEWS: Jeremy Jacobs gives an oral history on his 50 years of owning the Bruins

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Fenway

HF Bookie and Bruins Historian
Sponsor
Sep 26, 2007
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Cambridge, MA

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The Bruins owner talks about his process of buying the team 50 years ago, working with Gary Bettman, the pros and cons of expansion, his ‘secret to success’ and his love for the fans in Boston.


 
I find it amusing that JJ did this for the Hockey News and nobody in Boston He mentioned Paul Mooney who represented Jacobs in the first years of ownership and was a thug.

The one lesson JJ never learned was he needed an outsider to come in and win the Cup but when Chia was fired he gave Cam the keys.

At least we now know JJ is still cognitive.
 
I find it amusing that JJ did this for the Hockey News and nobody in Boston He mentioned Paul Mooney who represented Jacobs in the first years of ownership and was a thug.

The one lesson JJ never learned was he needed an outsider to come in and win the Cup but when Chia was fired he gave Cam the keys.

At least we now know JJ is still cognitive.
Is that a good thing???
 
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Definitely an interesting listen... thanks for posting. My takeaways:
-the secret to his success has been "working my butt off"
-the 32-team league is big enough... no expansion desired/needed
-the Bruins franchise is a "property" he has been proud to own
-the words "Stanley Cup" were never mentioned

Finally, if you listen to nothing else, it's worth scrubbing through to the last few minutes, when JJ is asked about Boston fans. Rarely have I heard an interviewee mis-hit a softball question like that.
 
Going to share this again, because I still believe it best exemplifies Jeremy Jacobs' ownership of the team, his feelings about the fans, and his priorities.

This is what he said after being a major force for the implementation of a hard cap---which a financial powerhouse in the league like the Bruins should oppose---which came at the expense of an entire season:

From July 25, 2005:

Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs, on the club’s payroll approaching the new CBA’s $39M salary cap: “I wish I could aim for the bottom end [$21.5M]. But I don’t have a management or a community that would be empathetic to that. ... It wouldn’t be smart”

He spends to the cap because it would be bad business, not because he cares about winning. Jeremy Jacobs would rather turn a profit with a last place team than break even with a Stanley Cup winner.
 
Going to share this again, because I still believe it best exemplifies Jeremy Jacobs' ownership of the team, his feelings about the fans, and his priorities.

This is what he said after being a major force for the implementation of a hard cap---which a financial powerhouse in the league like the Bruins should oppose---which came at the expense of an entire season:

From July 25, 2005:

Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs, on the club’s payroll approaching the new CBA’s $39M salary cap: “I wish I could aim for the bottom end [$21.5M]. But I don’t have a management or a community that would be empathetic to that. ... It wouldn’t be smart”

He spends to the cap because it would be bad business, not because he cares about winning. Jeremy Jacobs would rather turn a profit with a last place team than break even with a Stanley Cup winner.
I remember Bob McKenzie on TSN….about 25 years ago…..saying ‘It might surprise some people, but there are owners out there that want to make money in the playoffs and not win the Cup due to bonus payouts,etc’ (very roughly worded quote….) …..at the time I thought I wonder if the Bruins do that? Yep!!!
 
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I remember Bob McKenzie on TSN….about 25 years ago…..saying ‘It might surprise some people, but there are owners out there that want to make money in the playoffs and not win the Cup due to bonus payouts,etc’ (very roughly worded quote….) …..at the time I thought I wonder if the Bruins do that? Yep!!!

At the time could very well had merit. But now, there is no such bonus for playoffs or Cup win.
 
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I find it amusing that JJ did this for the Hockey News and nobody in Boston He mentioned Paul Mooney who represented Jacobs in the first years of ownership and was a thug.

The one lesson JJ never learned was he needed an outsider to come in and win the Cup but when Chia was fired he gave Cam the keys.

At least we now know JJ is still cognitive.
Is he?
 

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