Serious Hockey fans only. How good was Cam Neely ?

Question

We are having this huge debat in our bar over how good a player Cam Neely was. Baring his injury problems, when this man hit the ice how good was he.? Give as much detail as you like. We will be posting the results. Any whack comments get toassed.

Answer 1

Im a die hard leafs fan but Neeley was and will always be my favorite player. (DIE ULF SAMULELSSON DIE). He is a hall of famer so that tells you a lot right there. There aren't any stiffs in the hall. He was the ultimate power forward (in my opinion) of his era, he would muck it up with anyone at any time, he wasn't affraid to hit or more importantly to BE HIT, he installed fear in the opoposition, you love to hate him unless he was on your team, assistant captain of a storied franchise, he had goal scoring seasons goal scoring seasons of 36, 42,37,55 and 51, came back from injuries, played like 22 games because of injury from 1991 - 1993 then came back in 93-94 to score 50 goals in 49 games (3rd fastest in N.H.L. history),lead the bruins in scoring 7 times, stanley cup finals twice (both against the oiler powerhouse teams) , 4 time allstar and , all time leading bruins playoff point getter, number is retired, masterson trophy winner and a true classy individual of the game. some schmucks should know their hockey and stats before spouting off! i hope i was able to resolve any issues at your bar:)

Answer 2

At 6 ft 1 in and 215 lb, Neely was as devastating with his body checks and fists, as he was with his goal scoring exploits. He became the archetype of the ultimate power forward and earned the nickname 'Bam-Bam Cam. He is the Ultimate Power forward to ever lace up in the NHL. Ulf Samuelsson is the one to thank for ending his brilliant career short, cause at the time the Bruins had something to offer and to challenge for Lord Stanley Cup.
Scoring 50 goals in 50 games is considered the bench-mark of great goal scorers. Maurice Richard, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny, and Jari Kurri are the only other players to score 50 goals in 50 games or less. In the 1993-94 season Neely scored his 50th goal in his 44th game, only Gretzky has scored 50 goals in fewer games.
In addition, Neely's intense efforts to come back time and again from his devastating injuries were recognized with his winning of the Masterton Trophy after the 1993-94 season. A degenerative hip condition forced Neely into retirement. His #8 jersey has been retired by the Bruins, making him the tenth player to have a number retired by the team.

Year Team GP G A PTS PIM PPG +/-
1982/83 Portland Winter Hawks 72 56 64 120 130 ? ?
1983/84 Portland Winter Hawks 19 8 18 26 29 ? ?
1983/84 Vancouver Canucks 56 16 15 31 57 3 0
1984/85 Vancouver Canucks 72 21 18 39 137 4 -26
1985/86 Vancouver Canucks 73 14 20 34 126 6 -30
1986/87 Boston Bruins 75 36 36 72 143 7 +23
1987/88 Boston Bruins 69 42 27 69 175 11 +30
1988/89 Boston Bruins 74 37 38 75 190 18 +14
1989/90 Boston Bruins 76 55 37 92 117 25 +10
1990/91 Boston Bruins 69 51 40 91 98 18 +26
1991/92 Boston Bruins 9 9 3 12 16 1 +9
1992/93 Boston Bruins 13 11 7 18 25 6 +4
1993/94 Boston Bruins 49 50 24 74 54 20 +12
1994/95 Boston Bruins 42 27 14 41 72 16 +7
1995/96 Boston Bruins 46 25 20 45 29 7 +5
Career Totals: 727GP 395G 299A 694PTS 1241PIM

http://ahs.adamwlad.com/images/neely07.jpg
http://ahs.adamwlad.com/images/neely10.jpg
http://ahs.adamwlad.com/images/bourque_neely2.jpg



Farewell Cam, It's was tough to see you go! I loved the good old rivalry's of the Habs and Bruins great great games to watch.


Neely was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.


mel>>>>>your compairing Cam Neely to Joe Sakic, have you ever seen Cam Neely play a game. two different players.Cam Neely played 5 years with this injury he still never really hit his prime.


GO HABS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Answer 3

Whoa do not insult Cam Neely by comparing him to schmucks like Bertuzzi and Lindros.
Bertuzzi was only that good because he played with Morrison and Naslund.
Dont give me that Cam Neely-Adam Oates stuff either.
Lindros never really lived up to his potential.

Cam scored 50 goals in 44 games.
Coaches are still saying "I need a Cam Neely type of player"

Think of him as Keith Tkatchuk but only better.
Since we only had the privilige of watching Cam play for 10 seasons.
C'mon his number isnt retired and hes not in the hall of fame for nothing right?

Answer 4

At the height of his career he was widely considered the best "power forward" in the game at that time. He had that rare combination of good hands for scoring goals (a natural goalscorer) and quality fists (back then being tough meant more than in todays game). Was he a great player (H.O.F.)...I dont think I would go that far but he had the ability to dominate a game on occasion and was solid in all aspects of the game. He was also considered the consumate teammate, he looked out for the other guys and had their backs when needed. When he played he was easily an All Star caliber player and a lot of up and coming kids modeled their games after him. Listen to an interview from some of todays older forwards that play well around the net and most mention Cam Neely as one of the guys they wanted to be like as youngsters.

Answer 5

Cam Neely may have not been among the greatest players in the history of the NHL skill wise, but being a great player is about more than the ability to score goals, He was a natural leader and helped many young athletes develop into damn good hockey players, he was the heart of the team and was respected by the whole league that made him more than just a good hockey player it made him a great teammate.

Answer 6

I've been following hockey since 1974. When Cam was with the Canucks, he seemed to get better after getting traded to the Bruins. I remember him as a steady player who was tough to knock off his feet, was a decent scorer, and a good team leader. I'm a Flyers fan and got to see them play the B's a lot and Cam Neely was a player I wish the Flyers had.

Answer 7

Cam Neely, Rick Tocchet & Wendell Clark were Among the best power forwards the game has seen. Neely Was a vicious hitter, And though he did less of it as he got older he was a pretty good fighter, He scored 50 plus goals 3 times including 50 in 49 games in a season, a very rare feat. Injuries cut into his numbers when he was at the peak of his scoring ability. Imo Tocchet and Clark were better fighters and Clark was probaly Equal to Neely in hitting, but nobody was the complete package like Neely.

Answer 8

Cam Neely is in the NHL Hall of Fame.

When the guy was healthy he was rock solid. The complete player that did it all. His goals to games played ratio is unreal.
In addition to being a offensive threat he was a enforcer a well who more than ofter kicked butt.

Answer 9

Cam Neely was very good, think about all the things you would want in a power forward and he had them, he was tough and he could score goals. That being said, he averaged less than a point a game and never had a 100 point season (during a period when 100 point seasons were regular among the leagues elite). Think of him as his generations Eric Lindros (in his prime) or Todd Bertuzzi (ditto). He is a hall of famer, but he doesn't rank among the best of all time.

Answer 10

Off the top of my head I'd say similar to Sakic, whereas a mediocre night for sakic would be a good one for neely.