Bruins fan survey paints bleak picture for Don Sweeney, Cam Neely

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After firing Bruce Cassidy last week, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was asked what his message would be to fans who have lost faith in the front office. He seemed to push back on the premise, calling it a “generalization.”

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“You can be more specific if you’d like. I think that’s a generalization. If you feel that way, then I’m perfectly happy to answer the question,” Sweeney said. “I don’t think I’ve lost faith in myself as a manager. I don’t think our winning percentage over the last six years, seven years that I’ve been a general manager would necessarily support that. We haven’t won [the Stanley Cup]. That’s what supports that. That’s why I stand up here today to try to make the necessary changes, and I will.”

It was clear that there was a sizable portion of the Boston fanbase that wasn’t happy with Sweeney and team president Cam Neely, but it can be hard to quantify just what percentage of the fandom that is. The most vocal fans on social media don’t always represent the majority.

In this case, it seems they might, though. The Athletic has attempted to put a percentage on it as part of their annual end-of-season fan survey.

Of the nearly 2,500 subscribers who completed the survey, 91.4% answered that Neely and Sweeney are not “the right executives to lead the Bruins.” Only 8.6% said they are.

Among other results, 82.6% said Cassidy should not have been fired, and 92.2% said the organization is not “headed in the right direction.”

Now, a survey like this is still not an exact science. 2,500 people is a pretty good sample size, but it’s still just a small fraction of the entire Boston fanbase. The fans most likely to respond might be the ones who are the most upset. It’s also unclear if The Athletic had any way to verify that respondents actually were Bruins fans and not fans of other teams swooping in to potentially sway the results.

That said, 91.4% is pretty overwhelming no matter how you slice it, and it’s not a great sign for Sweeney and Neely. It highlights just how little margin for error they have -- at least in fans’ minds -- as they conduct this coaching search and lead the Bruins into a retool or possibly even a full rebuild.

Of course, Sweeney and Neely ultimately only answer to fans indirectly. The people they answer to directly is the Jacobs family, and whether the Jacobs are aware of the backlash or care about it is unknown. It certainly hasn’t affected their bottom line yet; Forbes valued the Bruins at $1.3 billion in 2021, up 30% from 2020 and up 63% from five years ago.

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