Boston Bruins and Cam Neely: Time for a new direction?

With the Boston Bruins’ recent history of underperforming, is there a need for a change at the top of the organization?

Let me preface this post (my first covering the Boston Bruins with Chowder and Champions) by making clear that I am one of the biggest Cam Neely fans on the earth. His play on the ice in the late-80’s and early-90’s was almost a perfect metaphor for what it meant to be a Boston Bruin during that time in the NHL.

Neely’s in-your-face physical style of play, while still being able to score 50+ goals (which in 1993-1994 he accomplished in 44 games) would be almost impossible to replicate in the league today.

That being said, I would be remiss in my duties as a die-hard fan, and now as a contributor to this site, if I were to not bring up what I believe to be issues in an organization. I will never shy away from my responsibility to readers of this site to write, positively or negatively, about situations of significance with any team we cover here at Chowder and Champions. That being said, given the recent history of the team, I think Cam Neely’s status as President of the Bruins may be an issue that needs to be addressed soon.

VANCOUVER, BC – JUNE 15: Milan Lucic (L) /

Cam Neely became the President of the Boston Bruins in 2010. On his watch, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, went to the Finals in 2013, and won the President’s Trophy in 2014. For a seven-year stretch of time, that is impressive. However, in contrast, during the same seven-year stretch, the Bruins have had two first-round playoff exits, a second-round exit (in their President’s Cup year, go figure), and two years of missed playoffs.

Also in that time, the organization pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade, sending up-and-coming superstar Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars. The team also completely bungled the firing of former head coach, Claude Julien. To clarify, the misstep wasn’t necessarily with his firing itself, but how the organization handled the aftermath in trying to bury the post-firing presser during the Patriots Super Bowl parade.

You may be saying: “So, what’s your point?”

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Let’s review: since Neely became President, numerous players of varying calibers have come and gone. Peter Chiarelli has been fired as GM and replaced by Don Sweeney. Claude Julien has been fired as head coach and replaced by Bruce Cassidy.

If the Bruins continue to struggle, how long before Charlie and Jeremy Jacobs realize that it may not necessarily be the players, the GM, or the coach who is the problem? How many more years of having teams that are middle-of-the-road do Bruins fans have to sit through? How long before the ownership realizes maybe it’s the person who oversees the hockey operations who stands in the way of the Bs being a contender?

I completely get it, Cam Neely is a Boston Bruins legend and always will be. His contributions to the team both on-and-off the ice are immense and will never be forgotten. However, does that “legend status” mean he is immune from all accountability when it comes to the team’s on-ice performance? The Bruins faithful already had to sit through a 29-year Stanley Cup drought from ’71-’72 to ’10-’11. I believe I speak for all fans of the Spoked-B that we will not stand for that sort of organization-wide mediocrity again.

Next: Boston Bruins Schedule Released: 5 can’t miss games in 2017-18

Legend or not, if this team continues to sputter, it’s time for a new direction in the hockey operations of the organization.

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