Cam Neely, Jacobs family comment on Claude Julien firing

The Boston Bruins are taking as much heat about the timing of Claude Julien’s firing as they are the actual firing.

The Bruins canned Julien on Tuesday morning, and are holding their press conferences during the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl parade. Which is like a company releasing its worst news of the week at 5 p.m. on a Friday night, if that Friday night was also Christmas Eve.

GM Don Sweeney spoke to the media, as did coach Bruce Cassidy. But the other powerbrokers in the Bruins organization instead released statements via their website:

Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs

“I want to thank Claude for his service to the Boston Bruins, and wish him and his family the best in the future. I am confident in the direction and vision that Don has for our team, and look forward to seeing the results on the ice.”

Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs

“Claude Julien is the all-time winningest coach in Boston Bruins history, and my family and I join Bruins fans in thanking him for the many great memories that have come while he has been behind the Bruins bench.

“As a management team, we set a high standard for ourselves, and I believe that our organization is moving in the right direction towards meeting and exceeding those standards.”

Bruins President Cam Neely

“These decisions are not easy, and Don has my full support. I believe that we have a better team than our results to date show. I also recognize that there are areas that we as a group need to improve upon.

“This decision does not in any way diminish Claude’s legacy as a Bruins coach. I would like to wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”

So that’s Neely passing the puck to Sweeney on this move, rather than being a party to it? OK then.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.