More than 14 years after hanging up his skates, the awards continue to roll in for Cam Neely.
The Hall-of-Fame right wing was named Thursday as one of four recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. Also being recognized are longtime Boston University coach Jack Parker, Boston College coach Jerry York and AHL President David Andrews.
The award, one of the most prestigious in hockey, was first presented to the National Hockey League by the New York Rangers in 1966. It honors the memory of Lester Patrick, who spent 50 years in hockey as a player, coach and general manager and was a pioneer in the sport's development. The recipients will be honored at an evening reception in Boston in late October.
A native of Comox, British Columbia, Neely has been indelibly linked to Boston through his work on and off the ice with the Bruins. After being acquired from Vancouver in 1986, Neely helped define the term "power forward" in the NHL as he piled up 395 goals and 299 assists to go with 1,241 penalty minutes in 726 regular-season games in a career cut short by injuries. Always a clutch performer, Neely added 57 goals in 93 postseason games, including a Bruins record of 55 playoff goals before retiring in 1996.
Neely also won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1994 for his dedication to the game and had his No. 8 retired by the Bruins. In 2005, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Two years later, he joined the Bruins' front office as vice president and, on June 16, 2010, he was named team president.
Off the ice, his extensive charitable work includes the establishment of the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care and the founding of the Neely House, which provides housing and support for families of patients undergoing cancer treatments.
After playing on BU teams that won three straight Beanpot Tournaments in 1966-68, Somerville, Mass., native Parker became head coach of his alma mater in 1973 and has coached BU to three national championships (1978, 1995, 2009) while compiling a record of 836-432-104.
York played at BC from 1964-65 through 1966-67 before joining the coaching ranks, leading both Bowling Green and his alma mater to national championships. After stints at Clarkson and Bowling Green, the Watertown, Mass., native returned to BC in 1994, winning three titles with the Eagles and pushing his overall coaching record to 850-539-92.
Andrews, a native of Nova Scotia who now resides in Wilbraham, Mass., has been the president of the American Hockey League since 1994, and under his direction, the AHL has expanded to include 30 teams and stretch across the North American continent while becoming the sole primary development league for the NHL.
