Former number eight and right wing for the Boston Bruins, Cam Neely was described as the “quintessential hockey player.” His unique blend of toughness, intimidation, and finesse on the ice earned him the league’s first termed “power forward.”
Neely played hard-nosed hockey for thirteen NHL seasons and as a team member of the Bruins for the last ten years of his career. A first-round draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 1983, he was traded to Boston in 1986 and advanced to become the league’s ultimate power forward. He went on to record three impressive fifty-goal campaigns including fifty goals in 49 games in the 1993-94 season. He had fourteen career hat tricks and shares the NHL single season playoff record for the most power play goals.
Neely’s many honors and awards speak for themselves – a five-time NHL all-star and the Bill Masterton Trophy winner in 1994 for exemplifying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport. In 1996, his career came to a premature halt when a severe hip injury forced his retirement.
Equally enthusiastic and active off-ice, he remains one of the most visible professional athletes in the Boston community. The Cam Neely Foundation was established for the care of cancer patients following the loss of both his parents to cancer. Neely and his siblings, together with the New England Medical Center developed the Neely House, a home providing shelter and support services for families of adult and pediatric cancer patients.