Cam Neely Cameron Michael " Cam " Neely ( born June 6 , 1965 ) is a retired Canadian professional player . He played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League from 1983 to 1996 . He currently serves as the Vice President of the Boston Bruins . Playing career . Neely was born in Comox , British Columbia . He was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks ninth overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft , after a stellar season with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League in which he led the team to the Memorial Cup Championship , becoming the first US - based team to claim the Cup . He played three seasons with the Canucks before being traded along with a draft pick ( 1st choice , 3rd overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft , used to take Glen Wesley ) to the Boston Bruins for Barry Pederson . Almost immediately , it became apparent that the Bruins had received the better of the deal . In his first full season following the trade , Neely ' s 36 goals led the club , and his 72 points more than doubled his previous year ' s performance . Neely ' s success stemmed largely from his hard , accurate shot , quick release , and his willingness to engage in the more physical aspects of the game . 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 ' . In draft after draft , general managers looking for a combination of toughness and talent would say that they needed to find a " Cam Neely " type . On May 11 , 1991 , during Game 3 of the 1991 Prince of Wales Conference Finals , Neely was checked by Ulf Samuelsson , and injured on the play , and was hit again to the knee in game 6 . Many thought that this was a " cheap " hit by Samuelsson . Compounding the situation was the fact that Neely developed myositis ossificans in the injured area . The injury kept Neely out of all but 22 games of the next two seasons , and he would never play more than 49 games again due to the incredible pain . However , he still recorded some remarkable scoring feats . Only Wayne Gretzky , Mario Lemieux , and Brett Hull scored a better goals per game average over the course of an NHL season than Neely did with his 50 - goals - in - 44 - games in the 1993 – 94 season . Also , only ten players in NHL history scored a better goals per game average over their career than Neely . He reached the fifty goal mark three times , played in five All - Star games , and was named the league ' s Second Team All - Star at right wing in 1988 , 1990 , 1991 , and 1994 . In the 1993 – 94 season Neely scored his 50th goal in his 44th game ; only Gretzky has scored 50 goals in fewer games . This milestone is unofficial as the 50 goals must be scored in the first 50 games the team plays , counting from the start of the season . Other players have also " unofficially " reached this milestone such as Alexander Mogilny , Jari Kurri , and Bobby Hull . He was regularly listed as a healthy scratch in alternate games in order to rest his ailing knee , and ultimately retired in 1996 . 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 . Neely was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 . On September 25 , 2007 , Neely was appointed Vice President of the Boston Bruins .