Management Cam Neely had a vision and hired Sweeney - 3 years later he was right

[Thrive]

I had confidence in DS but admittedly, was always concerned that Neely would not let him fully control operations and make the changes he wanted to make. Seems like that concern was unfounded.

I felt the same exact way.

Firing Chiarelli was absolutely the correct move at the time. Replacing him with Sweeney has proven to be a good move. Retaining Claude for 2 more years? Not so much. While I like what has transpired over the course of the last year and a half, let's not pretend it was all rainbows and unicorns. There were some mistakes and miscues along the way, but the current direction of this team is really exciting to watch.

One possible reason that would make a lot of sense, is that in knowing that this youth revival was coming perhaps they just didn’t want Claude around a lot of the youth for a long amount of time. Perhaps they didn’t want the players to develop Claude-installed habits that up to that point would be the only style of NHL hockey that they would have known and would’ve taken work to undo? Essentially they were just biding their time until they felt the timing was right?

 

[LSCII]

Ha! I've been wrong here so many times over the year that I've lost count. Admitting it is never an issue. I also don't think I'm alone in my belief that they hung onto Claude too long, but sure, whatever you say Donnie...

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

I’m still mad at Neely over approving the Seguin deal.

Unlike other people with thin skin, I can agree that there is still some frustration there and it's a good topic to debate. The only hope is he learned from that mistake.

I can applaud all hes done in the here and now, but there is still some questions on the past and how that effected the franchise.

 

[LSCII]

I felt the same exact way.



One possible reason that would make a lot of sense, is that in knowing that this youth revival was coming perhaps they just didn’t want Claude around a lot of the youth for a long amount of time? Essentially they were just biding their time until they felt the timing was right?

Sure, anything is possible. I mean, I personally didn't see the value in burning an extra 2.5 years of hockey, but that's just me. It felt like at the time they were leaving him hanging just to scapegoat him should things go wrong, but in the end it's all worked out wonderfully, so it's a minor second guess. Not sure who brought it up earlier but it was a great point that had they pulled the trigger earlier, they may not have gone to Cassidy, so I'm fine with it all.

 

[chizzler]

Unlike other people with thin skin, I can agree that there is still some frustration there and it's a good topic to debate. The only hope is he learned from that mistake.

I can applaud all hes done in the here and now, but there is still some questions on the past and how that effected the franchise.

You keep dwelling on the past, the rest of us will enjoy the present.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

You keep dwelling on the past, the rest of us will enjoy the present.

This is something a 'thin skinned' person would say. Right?

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

Unlike other people with thin skin, I can agree that there is still some frustration there and it's a good topic to debate. The only hope is he learned from that mistake.

I can applaud all hes done in the here and now, but there is still some questions on the past and how that effected the franchise.

You keep dwelling on the past, the rest of us will enjoy the present.

Wut?

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Amazing to see people desperately trying to admit being wrong and right at the same time.

 

[chizzler]

I'm not ready to give Sweeney all this credit. I think it goes to Butch. Seriously. Sweeney made boneheaded draft moves. Barzal and Connor were on the board (and the consensus picks). I love Debrusk, but at this point the other picks look really bad. You take best player available. Always. Butch is the reason they are so good right now. Developing good young players is due to coaching and veteran players. McAvoy is amazing, but that was not a surprise pick. I like Sweeney, but to say their success is due to his genius is silliness.

Chia was a poison. I also agree that the Seguin trade is blood on Neely's hands as much as Chia. The idea that "Seguin had to go" is total BS concocted by the Boston media. He is ripping up the league on a crappy Dallas team. Kid was 21. That is bad management.

Total none sense since it was Sweeney that hired Cassidy. Seguin had to go before the team kicked his ass in the locker room.

 

[Dellstrom]

The change in coach and GM were absolutely necessary. They were living of a team and style that was far too old, and worked because of the players we had back then.

Now we still have our key players from our 2011 run, with primarily home-grown talent and sneaky FA signings that all work together really will. Awesome mix of top end talent, supporting talent, and depth players. Goal scorers, passers, bruisers, two way forwards... We're a very deep team and we have many strengths.

IMO Neely needed to stop having as much power as he did, and he needed someone who wasn't a yes-man in the GM chair. Cassidy was the perfect pick for coach, but I really feel like this is Sweeney's team. He took over in an absolutely awful situation and brought us from a team in eternal purgatory to the Cup favorite in 3 years... And the best is yet to come

 

[LSCII]

Amazing to see people desperately trying to admit being wrong and right at the same time.

If you want to call me out, quote me when I rebut your sad attempts at passive aggressive nonsense. It's okay, I love when people do that.

You do realize that your narrative is not the only one, right? That the front office (like every other teams front offices) has done good and bad moves, right? That as a fan you don't have to accept 100% everything as positive and you can be critical of each individual move as a standalone, right? That nobody is perfect, and mistakes do happen, right?

But yeah, you keep calling people out and looking at things in only absolutes if it makes you feel better.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

If you want to call me out, quote me when I rebut your sad attempts at passive aggressive nonsense. It's okay, I love when people do that.

You do realize that your narrative is not the only one, right? That the front office (like every other teams front offices) has done good and bad moves, right? That as a fan you don't have to accept 100% everything as positive and you can be critical of each individual move as a standalone, right? That nobody is perfect, and mistakes do happen, right?

But yeah, you keep calling people out and looking at things in only absolutes if it makes you feel better.

You weren't the only one I was calling out. Others are doing the same thing, hence my single post. So put your ego and check and realize not all posts related to you are specifically about you.

 

[BNHL]

This is a great point. With all the success this year, the accolades have been (mostly) directed at Sweeney and Cassidy. Neely deserves huge credit. And I was one that lost total confidence in him after dealing Seguin.

It's now becoming clear, as others have said above, that its the return that was the real problem. Chia's department.



Good thing Marchand didnt really start scoring until Chia was gone!

3 had attitude and behavior problems (S,K,H),one would not even counteroffer (Kessel). Wheeler was a square peg in Claude's round hole. I said it then,Wheeler would be a 30-30 guy,but I guess 20-66 is good enough.

 

[Marcobruin]

I’m still mad at Neely over approving the Seguin deal.

As a player Neely was my all time favorite. As a president, like you, the fact he endorsed the Seguin trade was totally idiotic and dumb. His choice of DS so far is a good one however i wouldn't bring Cam in when it comes to player evaluation. .

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

The change in coach and GM were absolutely necessary. They were living of a team and style that was far too old, and worked because of the players we had back then.

Now we still have our key players from our 2011 run, with primarily home-grown talent and sneaky FA signings that all work together really will. Awesome mix of top end talent, supporting talent, and depth players. Goal scorers, passers, bruisers, two way forwards... We're a very deep team and we have many strengths.

IMO Neely needed to stop having as much power as he did, and he needed someone who wasn't a yes-man in the GM chair. Cassidy was the perfect pick for coach, but I really feel like this is Sweeney's team. He took over in an absolutely awful situation and brought us from a team in eternal purgatory to the Cup favorite in 3 years... And the best is yet to come

Solid post.

Agree especially with the line in bold. Neely is a great figurehead for the Bruins. Represents a time that even though he couldn't bring home a cup, the Bruins were successful in terms of getting deep cup runs. But I don't think he was ever known as a player with high hockey IQ. So having his hands in the team building as much as they were was definitely a negative.

I'd rather him be reading off new entrees at the garden than his dream Bruins roster in 2018.

 

[chizzler]

If you want to call me out, quote me when I rebut your sad attempts at passive aggressive nonsense. It's okay, I love when people do that.

You do realize that your narrative is not the only one, right? That the front office (like every other teams front offices) has done good and bad moves, right? That as a fan you don't have to accept 100% everything as positive and you can be critical of each individual move as a standalone, right? That nobody is perfect, and mistakes do happen, right?

But yeah, you keep calling people out and looking at things in only absolutes if it makes you feel better.

There is no doubt Sweeney had a rough start. He was thrown into the fire. Show me a GM who gets everything right. The one thing that I held on to was the fact that I thought he was smart. I liked the was he was handling being an assistant GM, namely the running of the team behind the scenes. His scouting and camps. You could tell he was a hard worker at his job. I think Neely wanted someone in there that he could just let go and let him do his thing. I don’t think he believed in the direction of the team before. It surely was not the one I liked.

 

[Gee Wally]

I give kudos to DS for building a 'team'.

A little something I came across:

Backes, though he didn’t play on the club’s recent four-game road trip, went along for the ride, which allowed him to continue his treatments on his nasty wound and to visit friends and family back home in suburban Minneapolis.

After arriving in St. Paul, the veteran forward invited all his Black-and-Gold teammates to his parents’ place in North Oaks, Minn., for a home-cooked meal. The majority of teammates made the trek out to the burbs for the free eats and camaraderie.

“Mom made dinner and 14 guys took Ubers to come to the house,” said Backes, sincerely impressed by the turnout. “I made them pay for their own Ubers, too . . . at least they haven’t submitted receipts to me.”

Backes said he suspected on some teams only one or two players would have taken him up on the dinner offer, which included his mom’s lasagna and kale salad whipped up by his wife, along with roasted brussel sprouts.

“We had 14 guys there, and that was a real special moment in my career — to have that many guys care about each other that much,” he added

It was also his father’s 65th birthday. “He got sung happy birthday by 14 of my teammates,” said a smiling Backes. “It was a cool day.”


Despite 18 stitches in his leg, David Backes returns to Bruins lineup vs. Lightning - The Boston Globe

 

[GordonHowe]

A few bits:

I will always respect and admire much of what Peter Chiarelli and Claude Julien did for a franchise that had become a bad joke. I did not agree with the firing of either.

Cam is my all time favorite player and I loved it when he was brought into management. I always respected Sweeney as a player (especially back then, when smaller defensemen were rare), as well as his intellect.

I was willing to give these two a chance, and some time. I still don't know what Cam *does,* and Don has made his mistakes. For a long time, I was unsure where the club was headed.

I am pleasantly surprised to observe that whatever the five year plan was, the club is ahead of schedule. Management deserves great credit on several fronts.

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

I give kudos to DS for building a 'team'.

A little something I came across:

Backes, though he didn’t play on the club’s recent four-game road trip, went along for the ride, which allowed him to continue his treatments on his nasty wound and to visit friends and family back home in suburban Minneapolis.

After arriving in St. Paul, the veteran forward invited all his Black-and-Gold teammates to his parents’ place in North Oaks, Minn., for a home-cooked meal. The majority of teammates made the trek out to the burbs for the free eats and camaraderie.

“Mom made dinner and 14 guys took Ubers to come to the house,” said Backes, sincerely impressed by the turnout. “I made them pay for their own Ubers, too . . . at least they haven’t submitted receipts to me.”

Backes said he suspected on some teams only one or two players would have taken him up on the dinner offer, which included his mom’s lasagna and kale salad whipped up by his wife, along with roasted brussel sprouts.

“We had 14 guys there, and that was a real special moment in my career — to have that many guys care about each other that much,” he added

It was also his father’s 65th birthday. “He got sung happy birthday by 14 of my teammates,” said a smiling Backes. “It was a cool day.”


Despite 18 stitches in his leg, David Backes returns to Bruins lineup vs. Lightning - The Boston Globe

Finding the perfect mix of character and skill on a team is such an overlooked part of building a cup contender.

Sounds campy and Hollywood but you need the team to want to play for each other.

Backes has to be alluding to the Blues there, and over his career he's had some solid teams there. Can't help but feel they underachieved in his time there.

You have to think character had to be a missing piece with a statement like that.

 

[Dellstrom]

I give kudos to DS for building a 'team'.

A little something I came across:

Backes, though he didn’t play on the club’s recent four-game road trip, went along for the ride, which allowed him to continue his treatments on his nasty wound and to visit friends and family back home in suburban Minneapolis.

After arriving in St. Paul, the veteran forward invited all his Black-and-Gold teammates to his parents’ place in North Oaks, Minn., for a home-cooked meal. The majority of teammates made the trek out to the burbs for the free eats and camaraderie.

“Mom made dinner and 14 guys took Ubers to come to the house,” said Backes, sincerely impressed by the turnout. “I made them pay for their own Ubers, too . . . at least they haven’t submitted receipts to me.”

Backes said he suspected on some teams only one or two players would have taken him up on the dinner offer, which included his mom’s lasagna and kale salad whipped up by his wife, along with roasted brussel sprouts.

“We had 14 guys there, and that was a real special moment in my career — to have that many guys care about each other that much,” he added

It was also his father’s 65th birthday. “He got sung happy birthday by 14 of my teammates,” said a smiling Backes. “It was a cool day.”


Despite 18 stitches in his leg, David Backes returns to Bruins lineup vs. Lightning - The Boston Globe

This is so awesome. You can tell that this is a team that's really close, and it reflects on the ice. They love playing with each other and they just have a blast.

You can bicker about how much money Backes makes all you want, but I love the guy so much. He's an amazing leader and an amazing teammate. The culture boost he brings makes him worth every penny and more.

 

[TP]

yeaaa, but he missed on Barzal.

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

Wheeler was a square peg in Claude's round hole.

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

The biggest thing I was wrong about was the coaching situation. I didn't think they could find someone better than Claude and I thought the roster was a bigger issue. They've made me look stupid pretty much since Bruce's first game.

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

yeaaa, but he missed on Barzal.

I think that mark is there until he wins with the guys he hitched his wagon to.

Not necessarily a cup, because a lot of variables go into that beyond 1-2 missing players. But a cup final appearance, maybe a few conference finals over the next 6-7 years.

Just like with Chiarelli, people overlooked a lot of his ugly marks because he won a cup on the back of Thomas, who he tried to replace with Manny Fernandez at one point. But eventually his misses shown through and he was shown the door.

 

[chizzler]

Solid post.

Agree especially with the line in bold. Neely is a great figurehead for the Bruins. Represents a time that even though he couldn't bring home a cup, the Bruins were successful in terms of getting deep cup runs. But I don't think he was ever known as a player with high hockey IQ. So having his hands in the team building as much as they were was definitely a negative.

I'd rather him be reading off new entrees at the garden than his dream Bruins roster in 2018.

For a guy with no smarts, Neely effectively made changes when he thought the team was going nowhere. He fired Chiarelli and hired Sweeney who eventually brought in Cassidy with his prospects. I’d say that was a pretty smart move, considering his team was going in the opposite direction they are now. I would say Neely too has grown in his position as well.