“I hate losing more than I like winning,” may have been the most resonant words to come out of President No. 8’s mouth Wednesday. 

And thus the Neely administration has begun. 

After being named the eighth president in the history of the Bruins, Cam Neely gave zero indication he has lost a step after 10 years playing in Boston and three years as a vice president.  

“Being a player gives me another perspective,” Neely said. “I am a big fan of communication from coaches to player, from GMs to players, and quite frankly ownership to players. As a player you want to know that people do care. It is important for us to show our players that everybody does care about winning.” 

The new job doesn’t change much, though the biggest stipulation is that general manager Peter Chiarelli will now report to Neely. The two maintain they have a great business relationship and that though they have disagreed from time to time, healthy debate only strengthens the decision-making process.

So, how did Neely go from the electrifying and petrifying Sea Bass of a power-forward to the man entrusted to steer the franchise towards a Cup? The guy who brought him in 1986 feels he may have had it all along. 

“When Cam first arrived here at training camp it didn’t take me long to see that we had a special player,” former general manager and president Harry Sinden said at the press conference.  “Before he arrived here three years ago and he got into the management of the business and became and executive in the business it wasn’t very long before I felt the same thing about his future in our goal.

“I think he’s gifted as a player and is very, very gifted as a management person,” Sinden added. “I think Mr. Jacobs and Charlie are going to be very, very proud of him.” 

The Bruins would be foolish to think anything less. A bruiser and hard worker on the ice, Neely doesn’t appear ready to be just another hockey executive for fans to criticize. The goal is clear, and he stated it many times throughout the day. Anything less than a Stanley Cup is a far cry from the ultimate goal.

After the press conference, Neely admitted to reporters that he has and will appreciate any time spent picking Sinden’s brain on how to operate successfully as a president. Neely sees himself as being similar to Sinden in that the two think the same when it comes to hockey.

“Having Harry around for the past couple of years has certainly been helpful,” Neely said. “I’m still kind of old-school. I’m a traditionalist, and certainly Harry is as well.”

Described by Jeremy Jacobs as the best of the seven previous presidents in the club’s history, Sinden should serve as a help as Neely steps into the esteemed position. Keeping the same characteristics he had as a player will still be a must for Neely to be the executive the Bruins want, and everyone in the front office agrees. 

“To me on the ice, he was no-nonsense,” Chiarelli said. “If there was a straight line to the net, that’s what he took, whether there was a player that he had to punch the lights out of in the way, he would do it. To that point, I can see some similarities in the way he approaches the business side and the hockey ops side of it.” 

Chiarelli stated that front office moves have ended with Neely’s promotion and that he has not lost any power or seen his role altered at all in the process. He said that all the pieces in the organization are “sensible” and that they work together well as a result. With next Friday being one of the biggest days in the recent history of the franchise, the newly refined team of decision-makers is ready to go to work just as they always have.

“I look forward to the challenges ahead,” Neely said. “This is a huge honor and opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to us giving the fans what they deserve, which is the Stanley Cup.”