Felger & Mazz: Cam Neely on Rome Suspension - "League Got It Right"
Today, Felger and Massarotti spoke with Bruins' Team President Cam Neely on an array of issues including the Horton injury, the Alexandre Burrows incident, the Seguin vs. Thornton debate, and his thoughts on the Vancouver Canucks as a team.
Cam Neely started off the discussion by stating that the Aaron Rome hit on Nathan Horton was "late for sure" and definitely "worthy of suspension," agreeing that the league "got it right" with their disciplinary action. Neely did say, however, that he does not buy into the notion that Rome's hit was a direct result of Shawn Thornton's verbal instigation as Thornton skated back to the bench after his first shift of the game. Neely also defended Rome, claiming that he does not believe that the hit was neither intentional nor related to the Burrows' "Bite-Gate."
Looking back on Game 3, Cam Neely conceded that the Bruins had been out-physicaled for the first two games so the Bruins "needed to bring that kind of emotion" in order to play as they did in Game 3.
Discussing the decision to play Thornton and sit Tyler Seguin in Game 3, Neely said that it had been difficult for Seguin to deal with the Canucks' third-line physicality and reiterated that it was the "absolutely right decision by Claude" to play Thornton over Seguin.
As to the health of injured Nathan Horton, Neely could only say that the full extent and prognosis of the injury won't be known "anytime soon."
Neely does not think that any crackdown on mischief will be an issue, assuring Felger and Mazz that the Bruins can still play their physical style, hoping that the refs will "let the players play." He did shed light on NHL Senior VP Mike Murphy's conversation with Peter Chiarelli earlier today, saying that the gist of the conversation was: "enough with the nonsense."
Upon being prompted about his thoughts on the Vancouver Canucks, Neely briskly told the guys that it "did not take long to not like them [The Canucks]."
Neely concluded the interview by saying that the lineup changes without Nathan Horton will probably only be known by game time, giving no definitive claim on the status of Tyler Seguin for Game 4. Asked whether Game 4 is a must-win for the Bruins, Neely put it simply: "the goal is to tie this thing up tomorrow."
Every game of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Bruins and Canucks can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub with pregame coverage beginning 60 minutes before each game with the Dunkin Donuts Bruins Pregame show.
