Not even Cam Neely expected this.
Neely scored his league-leading 49th and 50th goals of the season in only his 44th game last night as the host Boston Bruins defeated Washington, 6-3.
Neely tied Mario Lemieux, who reached the 50-goal mark in 44 games in the 1988-89 season. Wayne Gretzky scored 50 goals in 39 games in 1981-82 and 42 games in '83-84.
Neely missed most of the past two seasons with recurring knee problems and has missed games this season to rest his knee.
"I wasn't sure about 50 shifts, let alone 50 goals," Neely said. "It's a great feeling. I definitely didn't expect anything like this. All I wanted to do was to give myself the opportunity to play and to be a part of the team."
Neely, who originally suffered the injury during the 1991 playoffs against Pittsburgh, seriously considered retiring before the season began.
After a talk with team president Harry Sinden and general manager Mike Milbury, he gave it another try.
"In October, I was very close (to retiring)," he said.
"I just wanted him to be healthy," Bruins coach Brian Sutter said. "We take it one day at a time."
In other news:
SENATORS: SIGN OLYMPIAN
Derek Mayer, a member of Canada's silver medal-winning Olympic team, signed a contract with the Ottawa Senators. Mayer is a 26-year-old defenseman.
