Cam Neely squares off against Bill Lee in the first round of Boston’s Biggest Sports Legend tournament.
Cam Neely is a bad man. Bruins fans watched Neely grow up right in front of their eyes. After joining the Bruins at the age of 21, Neely became a force to be reckoned with on the Garden ice. In his first season, he scored 36 goals and made 36 assists while racking up 143 penalty minutes. Simply put, there was no stopping Cam Neely. He could beat you with his skill or could flat-out beat you up. His career numbers are excellent, but they would have been even better had it not been for Ulf Samuelsson’s hit to the knee in 1991. Neely played only 22 games the next two seasons but scored 50 goals in his first 44 games in the 1993-94 season (only Wayne Gretzky reached 50 goals in fewer games). A co-founder of the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care, Neely now serves as Bruins vice president.
The Boston Red Sox have sent thousands of players onto the field at Fenway Park, but Bill “Spaceman” Lee was truly one of a kind. Born William Francis Lee III, Spaceman was one of the best lefties to ever wear a Red Sox uniform. He holds the team record for most appearances by a lefty with 321 while compiling 94 wins and a 3.64 ERA in 10 seasons in Boston. However, Lee is known more for his personality than anything. He was never afraid to speak his mind, even if it put him out of favor with team management, and will always be remembered for brawling with Yankee Graig Nettles in 1976. After being inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008, Lee disclosed that he carries Nettles’ baseball card in his wallet, explaining: “I keep this in here so that Nettles’ face is always up against the back of my a– no matter where I go.” The Spaceman remains as entertaining today as he was during his playing days.
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