Cam Neely (HHOF ’05)
Cam Neely was chosen ninth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1983. He played well but wasn’t exceptional. However, his trade to Boston in 1986 seemed to spark something in Neely. Over the next five seasons, his point total increased yearly. He reached the finals twice in three years with the Bruins and was cruising along as a bruising power forward when he was felled by a hit to the knee in 1991. Missing the Eastern Conference finals, he only played 22 games over the next two seasons. In 1993-94, he came back to score 50 goals in 49 games and won the Bill Masterton trophy for perseverance. Although he tried to play over the following two seasons, a degenerative hip wouldn’t allow it; he retired in 1996. Since then, he has appeared in movies and on television. His name is still spoken in hallowed tones in sports-crazy Boston.
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