WHL Portland Winterhawks

Portland Winterhawks Hall of Fame Profile: Cam Neely

Published on February 23, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


No Winterhawk will ever wear number 21 again.

The Portland Winterhawks are set to retire the first jersey number in its 47-year history when they raise Cam Neely's #21 to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum rafters on March 18, 2023. Neely's jersey number will be retired on the same day he and three of his 1983 Memorial Cup Champion teammates are inducted into the club's Hall of Fame as part of Oregon Hockey History Night at the VMC.

Neely's list of accomplishments at both the junior level and in the National Hockey League showcase why he is one of the team's all-time greats.

Neely played in Portland during the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons before beginning his professional career. In 91 regular season games with the Hawks, he registered 64 goals and 82 assists for 146 points.

The Comox, B.C. native was an integral part of the Winterhawks' first Memorial Cup Championship in 1983, scoring a team-high five goals and nine points in four tournament games. Neely scored a hat trick in the championship game in front of 9,527 fans at the Memorial Coliseum when the Hawks beat the Oshawa Generals 8-3 to become the first U.S. team to win the prestigious trophy.

In the summer after winning the Memorial Cup championship, the Vancouver Canucks selected Neely 9th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. The following season, he played just 19 games with the Winterhawks before the Canucks called him up to the National Hockey League and to kick off his 13-year playing career.

He began life in the NHL with three straight 30+ point campaigns before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 1986. Neely became known as one of the league's most prolific goal scorers in the late 1980's and 90's with the Bruins, scoring 50 goals in back-to-back seasons in 1989-90 and 1990-91. He went on to win the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1994, which is given "to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

The five-time NHL All-Star retired in 1996 with 395 goals, 694 points and 1,241 penalty minutes in 726 career games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.

In addition to his Winterhawks Hall of Fame induction, Cam Neely's #21 will also be raised to the rafters of Veterans Memorial Coliseum on March 18.

Neely will be the first Winterhawk to have his number retired by the club.

Neely is currently serving his 13th season as the president of the Boston Bruins and has been a member of their operations staff for the last 16 years. He was the recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to U.S. hockey in 2010 and served as team president when Boston won the Stanley Cup in 2011.

Back in the Rose City, the Winterhawks' annual Neely Cup training camp tournament honors the legendary #21, setting the tone for the start of each season.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2023


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