Cam Neely

Lore & Background

Neely excelled in junior hockey with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League, winning the Memorial Cup in 1983 with a hat-trick in the championship game. He was selected ninth overall in the 1983 NHL draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He was traded to the Boston Bruins in June 1986 for Barry Pederson and a draft pick. In his first season with Boston, he recorded 72 points in 75 games with his first of five consecutive 30-goal seasons. He was named to the NHL All-Star Game in the next four seasons, recording 50-goal seasons in 1989–90 and 1990–91. In the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs, he suffered devastating knee injuries that limited him to 22 combined games over the next two seasons. He returned in 1993–94 and scored 50 goals in his 44th game, earning NHL Second All-Star Team honors for the fourth time and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. He retired in 1996 due to a degenerative hip condition. In 726 games, Neely recorded 395 goals and 299 assists, with 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 playing, he was appointed vice president of the Bruins in 2007 and promoted to team president in 2010; he was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights hummed their low, electric buzz over the ice. It was a Tuesday in February, the kind of night when the crowd was thin and the rink felt vast. Cam Neely stood at the blue line, stick dragging a shallow groove in the ice, watching the young winger on the other side skate through his warm-up drills. The kid was fast, flashy, a little loose. Neely said nothing. He just skated a lap, slow and deliberate, the blade of his skate biting the ice with a soft crunch. When the kid finished his drill, Neely was already there, stick resting on the ice, breathing easy. He tapped the kid's shoulder once. The kid nodded. They went back out together, and the next shift, the kid played the corner like it owed him money. That was Neely. You didn't need a speech. You just needed him to be there, working, and the rest followed.

Reader's Guide

Neely played right winger for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. He was known for his hard, accurate shot and willingness to engage in physicality. He never played for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Did You Know?

• Neely was born in Comox, British Columbia, Canada.
• He won the Memorial Cup with the Portland Winter Hawks in 1983.
• He scored 50 goals in 44 games during the 1993–94 season.
• The Bruins retired his jersey in 2004.
• He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.