{
  "id": 1706366,
  "title": "Cam Neely Makes Surprising Admission About Bruins Captain Decision",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/cam-neely-makes-surprising-admission-about-bruins-captain-decision",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-18T12:19:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cam-neely-makes-surprising-admission-121920926.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Boston Bruins team president Cam Neely has revealed that the organization has not yet decided whether to fill the vacant captaincy position before the 2026-27 season. The Bruins have played without a captain since trading Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers in March 2025, with David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm serving as alternate captains under first-year head coach Marco Sturm. Neely believes that the team does not necessarily need a captain and could benefit from a group of leaders instead. He cited examples of exceptional captains in Boston's history like Ray Bourque, Zdeno Chara, and Patrice Bergeron, and stated that they would like to have 20 leaders rather than forcing one player into the position. Neely and the Bruins' leadership group plan to meet soon to discuss how the team should structure its leadership approach, which may include wearing a letter on the sweater. The Bruins have never named a captain consecutively before, operating with alternate captains from 1967 through 1973, during which they won two Stanley Cups. Despite the lack of tradition, the team appears comfortable waiting for a player to make the choice undeniable.",
  "summary": "David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy appear to be obvious candidates,, but Cam Neely revealed why the Bruins might leave their captaincy vacant again.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}