Charlie in Charge

As the conversation—which will turn out to be our final sit-down—continues, Charlie Jacobs grows increasingly anxious. He asks if I’m sympathetic. I tell him that I don’t think he or his father can win in this town, that the public perception is cemented, that I wouldn’t want to be him. That just makes him more nervous. “Here you go out and paint a story that says, ‘Jacobs can’t win in this city,’” he says. “Isn’t that perpetuating?” He asks to see the story before it comes out, a request no journalist would grant, even though Jacobs swears it’s general practice, and claims that the Globe will show him a story to avoid “confrontations post-publication.” (The paper denies this.) When I refuse, things grow uncomfortable. Finally, Jacobs sighs in resignation. He looks frustrated and defeated and worried, like a man who wants to go off and hide, but can’t.

A few weeks later, during Bruins media day, the team introduces Cam Neely, Bruins hero and critic, as the new vice president. To everyone in attendance, it feels like the team is finally, and rightly, waving the white flag. It feels like Jacobs is about to do what he couldn’t during our conversation—step away from the spotlight. It just makes sense—keep him in town to oversee the operation, to be his father’s point man, but let the universally loved Neely be the face of the Bruins. As one of the team’s all-time greats, Neely had already served in that capacity as a player. When the Globe’s Dupont flat-out asks Neely if he’s ready to take over that role, to be the guy people identify with Bruins hockey, Neely doesn’t hesitate. “Absolutely,” he says.

A few moments later, I approach Jacobs and ask whether he agrees that Neely has just been designated the face of the franchise. He shoots me an incredulous look. “I would be real cautious doing that at this time,” Jacobs says. “We’re going to afford Cam every opportunity possible to be involved in this team. But Cam hasn’t worked for an NHL franchise before. So, while we’ll open doors for him in every aspect, including scouting, both professional and amateur, sitting down and prospecting, drafting, cap management, front office duties, I would be cautious to say that someone who has yet to work in the National Hockey League could come in and be the quote-unquote face of the franchise. That’s a rather large task.”

Yes, it is.