BOSTON — The annual “State of the Bruins” was held Thursday night at TD Garden.
Season ticket holders had the opportunity to ask questions to team ownership, president Cam Neely, general manager Peter Chiarelli, head coach Claude Julien and David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara.
After the event, Bruins owner and NHL Board of Governors chairman Jeremy Jacobs talked to the media about several topics surrounding the franchise.
On state of the Bruins…
“They were the best team last year in hockey, by points. Didn’t win the Stanley Cup, therefore we are not happy. We want to take this great team and achieve at the level to win the Stanley Cup, and we’re going to do it. We have a great organization, we’ve got great (prospects) coming up and I think we’re going to be there, I really do. I’m very comfortable and confident. We’ve continued to try to make this team better.”
On Reilly Smith and Torey Krug still being unsigned
“I think Peter is doing absolutely the right thing. … We’ve spent to the cap, we can’t accommodate everybody at this point, not at the level they want to be compensated. Every person that started here went through the same matriculation, there’s times you get paid very well and there’s times that you don’t. That’s the way the system is built and it’s functioning and it’s doing very well. We’ve never had more money to spend that we have now and we’ve spent every cent. We told you early on we were going to spend to the cap and we’ve done it, and we will continue to.
“Their time will come, and if they’re great players going forward they will be compensated as they get older in that way, or as they mature into this business.”
On general manager Peter Chiarelli
“Peter’s the best in the business right now, and we’re relishing in his success. … (There’s not a day) he’s not in the midst of some mental exercise that has to do with this team. It’s fun to talk to someone who loves the game like he loves it.”
On the NHL’s image
“Professional ownership and professional sports teams have a higher moral commitment to the community than the average business. … We have to recognize that when we go out that we represent not only our team and our ownership, but our fans and the community. Bear in mind we are taking a lot of young people and putting that responsibility on them, and it’s incumbent upon us to be able to educate them how to function. We take it really seriously.”
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