The Boston Bruins organization knows they’ve let the fans down in the last two years.
The B’s have failed to make the playoffs for the last two years. The fans are unhappy, and according to the most recent New England Sports Survey, they’re really ticked off at the Boston Bruins.
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This year’s survey (supplied by Channel Media and Market Research, Inc.) lit up the Boston Bruins like a Christmas tree. Last year, the Black and Gold were one point (24% to 23%) behind the Red Sox for the second favorite team in Boston. In just one year, that gap has widened to ten points (26% to 16%). When the fans were asked if they could follow only one Boston team, only 4% chose the B’s. That’s a near 20-point drop from two years ago, and only one percentage point ahead of the Revolution.
When it comes to the fans opinion of the team’s ownership, it gets even worse. In 2014, 29% of those polled believed that Jeremy Jacobs was the best owner of all the Boston sports teams. That was eleven points higher than the Red Sox ownership. Now, only 2% (which puts Jacobs dead last) of those polled agree with that statement. Even the New England Revolution scored higher in that category(4%).
The fans were certainly hoping for some positive change going into this season. By and large, the fans have been disappointed. The only big signing this year was the acquisition of David Backes. The Bruins biggest liability (the d-line) wasn’t even addressed in this offseason. 87% of the fans polled believe the Bruins are no better off or are worse than they were a year before.
Ouch. Accurate, but ouch.
The numbers are equally damning for members of the front office. Boston sports fans have given the cold shoulder (and rightfully so) to Bruins President Cam Neely. In 2013, Boston fans thought Neely was doing a better job at running his club than Bill Belichick was doing with the Patriots. (33% Neely, 31% Belichick) Three years later, the embattled Bruins President is sitting at just 2% (Belichick was polled at 70%).
When it came to giving a favorable/not favorable opinion of Neely, his numbers showed a similar decline. In 2014, 49% of the fans polled gave Neely high or excellent marks in how he ran the Bruins. This year, it was 16%. In just two years, Neely went from near the top of the list to now being 23 percentage points behind Danny Ainge of the Celtics.
Claude Julien doesn’t get off any easier. In 2014, 28% of fans polled thought he was the best Boston coach. That was good enough for a comfortable second place finish behind Belichick. In just two years, that number has plummeted all the way to just 5%. That’s a single percentage point ahead of John Farrell of the Boston Red Sox.
In 2014, 26% of the fans polled believed the Boston Bruins would be the next team to bring home a championship. That number has nose-dived as well. As of this year, only 3% of the fans believe the Bruins will be the next team to bring home a world title.
The last time Boston saw approval numbers this low, there was an unauthorized tea party in the harbor.
The Boston Bruins fans are certainly unhappy. Perhaps this survey will push the Jacobs family into making a few positive changes with the team. It’s certainly got to be a wake-up call for Cam Neely.
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