“Bringing The ‘Kick’ Back To Kick-Ass Hockey”

On Monday, the Bruins held a press conference where they announced the hiring of Hall-of-Fame power forward Cam Neely as Vice-President of Hockey Operations. Previously, Cam had been employed as a glorified greeter by the club, but sought to play a more meaningful role within the organization. Looking at the hiring at first glance, it’s hard to figure whether this was a glorified dog n’ pony show to appease the fans and generate a little positive pub, or whether Neely will actually become the trusted consigliere to ownership and the people in hockey ops. It’s probably too soon to tell.

From an operations and talent evaluation perspective, Neely has zero experience. That’s not a problem, as he’s had a commendable post-hockey career in business and philanthropy. If he brings the same degree of commitment to this position as he has to his other work, he’ll be up to speed in no time.

The one quality he immediately brings to the table is hockey credibility. Once upon a time, “Bruins Hockey” was defined by certain characteristics, regardless of the decade. Bruins players, by tradition, played a physical, hard working brand of hockey. Maybe it lacked the élan of Le Club de Hockey Canadien, but the style of play never, ever lacked heart…until recently, that is.

Neely exemplified the Bruins’ traditional identity on the ice and was a model citizen off of it. He played through debilitating injuries and was the prototype power forward. The post-Garden Bruins have lacked the inspired play that was the norm in their hot, smelly, rat infested rink.

No one is demanding the immediate return of the “Big Bad Bruins” or Don Cherry’s “Lunch Pail A.C.”. The Bruins have a lot of work to do to become a championship contender. What fans cannot tolerate is the “Brand X” form of hockey that has been prevalent in recent years where teammates don’t stick up for one another.

What players will respect is the input of someone who fully understands the tradition of the “Broons” and the manner in which the game is most understood and appreciated in Boston.

Not so long ago, a former GM (who shall remain nameless) said that he was trying to model the Bruins after (another team). Was he serious? No one ever called him on it. The Bruins don’t have to be anything other than who they’ve always been, from Eddie Shore in the ‘20’s through Raymond Bourque and Neely in the ‘90’s. In trying to be something other than who they’ve always been, their identity was lost and the fan base withered away. Perhaps Neely will play integral part in the young men “finding themselves”.

Whether it’s been a matter of bad management, inferior players, a soulless venue or a combination of the above, the Bruins have never been the same. Ownership realizes (and now publicly admits) that the team is currently teetering on the brink of irrelevance. One false step and it’s into the abyss of ancient history. Since the Bruins last hoisted the Cup 35 years ago, the pecking order has shifted and the Bruins no longer occupy their former lofty status. They have to work hard to regain the fans’ favor once more. Boston remains a great hockey town, despite what the yahoo-frontrunners in the media espouse. It’s only taken 30 years for the Concessionaire King to realize that if you treat the patrons with a little respect and courtesy, people will knock down the doors trying to get a seat for the games. People aren’t stupid (by and large). They’ve been dragged through a lockout and forced to endure a dog-food product combined with horribly inept management. At a certain point, all but the most dedicated said “Enough!”

As “Don Barzini” said, “This isn’t like the old days when we could do whatever we wanted…” When the B’s last won it all, cable tv was in its infancy and the personal computer and the internet were pipe dreams. The Patriots were doormats, the Celtics had yet to recover from Russell’s retirement and the Red Sox were struggling to make the post season (they lost on the last day in Detroit). Times have changed and so have peoples’ interests.

In technological terms, the Bruins have not been relevant since the Dark Ages. Maybe they thought that people were suckers, that “fathers-and-sons tradition” crap made them a bulletproof institution in town. The Braves played in Boston for 76 years, too. They ought to more carefully consider that their “true” audience is the blue-collar salts who made this team, instead of catering to the empty seats and suits who use the lower bowl of the new building for client entertainment and tax deduction purposes. (Having once been given tickets to a game down front about ten years ago, my son and I were utterly astounded by the conversations of the people sitting in our general vicinity. They were yapping on their cells and handing out business cards and appeared to have cared less about the event transpiring before their eyes. And the Bruins played very well that night. These are CERTAINLY NOT the sort of people a team can rely on to survive.

They’ve done a few nice things cosmetically this summer. The “new” uniforms are actually old school, reinforcing a tradition that dates back to the ‘20’s. Hopefully, Neely’s presence in the organ-I-zation is one of substance, and proves to be a step in the right direction.