Cam Neely

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Neely excelled in junior hockey play with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League, which saw him win the Memorial Cup in 1983 with a hat-trick in the championship game. He was selected as the ninth overall pick of the 1983 NHL draft by the Vancouver Canucks. While he immediately made the major league roster that season, he was utilized more on the third line, recording 104 points in 201 games. He was traded to the Boston Bruins in June 1986 for Barry Pederson and a draft pick and immediately made waves for the Bruins in his first season, recording 72 points in 75 games with his first of five consecutive 30-goal seasons. With a hard accurate shot and willingness to engage in physicality with his frame and fists, he was named to the NHL All-Star Game in the next four seasons, which saw him record a 50-goal season in the 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons. In the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs, he suffered devastating injuries to his knee that saw him play 22 combined games over the next two seasons. He returned in the 1993–94 season and scored 50 goals in his 44th game of play that saw him named to the NHL Second All-Star Team for the fourth time and awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance. In his final two seasons, he recorded 20-goal seasons while playing in 40 games each before retiring due to a degenerative hip condition in 1996 at the age of 31. In 726 games, Neely recorded 395 goals and 299 assists while recording 89 points in 93 playoff games. The Bruins retired his jersey in 2004, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005. After his playing days ended, he was appointed vice president of the Bruins in 2007 and was promoted to team president in 2010; he was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to hockey in the United States. Neely won the Stanley Cup when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup Final.

In Their Own Story

In March 1994, Neely faced a gruesome injury during a game against the New Jersey Devils. The tip of his right pinky finger was cut off through his glove, requiring 10–15 stitches to repair. Despite sustaining this early in the second period, he returned later that same period to record an assist before the Bruins lost 2–1. This incident underscored the sheer will that defined his final years. Earlier in March of that year, Neely had achieved a historic milestone: scoring two goals and adding an assist on March 7 to reach 50 goals for the season in just his 44th game. Although he did not hit the mark in exactly 50 games played, he remains the last player to score 50 goals within their first 50 games of a season. His career ended shortly after when his right knee ligament tore again against Ken Daneyko on March 19, forcing him into retirement in 1996 at age 31 due to degenerative hip conditions.

Reader's Guide

Cameron Michael Neely was born on June 6, 1965, in Comox, British Columbia, Canada to his parents Michael and Marlene Neely. His father served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which led to family relocations during his early years, including a period living in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. His family eventually settled in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, where Neely spent most of his childhood and started to get involved in hockey along with avidly watching the Toronto Maple Leafs with his father. Neely began playing for the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey program from 1976 to 1981. Along with hockey Neely also played for Ridge Meadows baseball team alongside Larry Walker, from ages 11 to 16. Neely played hockey with the Ridge Meadows Hockey Association for the majority of his minor career, scoring 141 points in 64 games in the 1981-82 season. He was subsequently named to the Maple Ridge honourable people list. He then joined the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League. He led the team to the Memorial Cup Championship, becoming the first US-based team to claim the Cup. Neely quickly emerged as a top prospect for the upcoming 1983 NHL entry draft, as he scored 56 goals and 120 points in 72 games. He was then drafted by the Vancouver Canucks ninth overall in the 1983 entry draft. Neely debuted with the Canucks during the 1983–84 season, he scored his first goal in his third game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9, 1983. He finished his rookie season with in 56 appearances, recording 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points. In his second season, he had his first 20-goal season scoring 39 total points. He then played his final season for Vancouver in the 1985–86 season, which saw a slight dip in scoring with 14 goals and 20 assists in 73 games. In the 1986 offseason, Neely would be involved in a trade from Vancouver. The departure of Thomas Gradin to the Boston Bruins left the team wanting to sign centre Barry Pederson from the Bruins. Pederson was free to sign with a team, but free agency rules at the time stated that any team signing what would be considered a restricted free agent in the modern sense would have to give compensation to the team who lost their player. Vancouver, as led by general manager Jack Gordon, believed that Pederson would pair well with Patrik Sundström and team head coach Tom Watt was not impressed with Neely's defence, seeing hi

Did You Know?

• Neely was traded to the Boston Bruins on his 21st birthday, June 6, 1986.
• He scored 50 goals in his 44th game of the 1993–94 season, but did not record an official 50 goals in 50 games.
• Neely played only 22 combined games over the two seasons following his knee injury in the 1991 playoffs.
• He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.