Cam Neely reflects on Bruins being ‘tough out’ during 2025-26 season

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Cam Neely reflects on Bruins being ‘tough out’ during 2025-26 season

Lauren Campbell · MassLive

Thu, May 7, 2026 ·

3 min read

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BOSTON — Eight months ago Cam Neely said the 2025-26 Bruins would be a " tough out " after adding " piss and vinegar " to their bottom six in the offseason.

That proved to be the case on several occasions en route to a 100-point season and a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"I think the hockey (operations department) did a really good job this past offseason of identifying players that they thought would be as competitive as we like, and as what our fan base likes and have some of that piss and vinegar," Bruins president Cam Neely said Wednesday. "And I think it showed for the most part. I know that there were nights where some teams didn't want to be on the ice with us and that's what I was hoping for, and that's what they delivered on."

The Bruins didn't add a bonafide scorer last offseason, but got had three players hit the 30-goal mark and Viktor Arvidsson added 25.

They got tougher in the bottom-six with the addition of Tanner Jeannot to go along with Mark Kastelic . Neither player was afraid to drop the gloves or lay a heavy hit.

While getting back to the playoffs was a good start, he knows it's just a starting point.

"Now it's up to us. We have that implemented in our group now to get better is adding more skill at the top end," Neely said. "But the whole group, I think they embrace that. They recognize if they don't compete every night, it's going to be very difficult to win hockey games in this league. And they competed and I give them all kinds of credit for that. I give the coaching staff credit for that. But that's been implemented in this team and this group this year."

The Bruins leadership of Patrice Bergeron , Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand is behind them, but the culture and leadership they helped build and pass on is still present.

"We talked about culture a lot," Neely said. " Sean Kuraly mentioned to me after coming back, he's like, 'My God, you take advantage of what this locker room is all about.' When he left (in 2021) and he came back he said, 'I just want to tell you, Cam, there's still fingerprints of the culture of this organization in the locker room.'"

With leaders like Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak in the locker room, coupled with Kuraly who played alongside Bergeron, Chara and Marchand and learned from them, the leadership is in a good spot.

But it will be an important offseason for Neely and company as they look to add more top-end talent to compliment the "piss and vinegar" they added to the bottom-six last summer.

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