Eight months ago, Cam Neely made a bold prediction about his Boston Bruins. After a summer spent injecting some serious grit into the roster, he declared the 2025-26 squad would be a "tough out." As the regular season comes to a close, it's safe to say he was right on the money.

The Bruins powered through to a 100-point season, punching their ticket back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And they did it with the exact kind of edge Neely envisioned. "I think the hockey operations department did a really good job this past offseason of identifying players that would be as competitive as we like," Neely said Wednesday. "I know there were nights where some teams didn't want to be on the ice with us. That's what I was hoping for, and that's what they delivered on."

While the Bruins didn't land a headline-grabbing scorer in free agency, the offense found a way. Three different players hit the 30-goal mark, and Viktor Arvidsson chipped in with a solid 25. But the real story was the team's newfound toughness, especially in the bottom six.

The additions of Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic brought a physical presence that was impossible to ignore. Neither player shies away from dropping the gloves or laying a bone-crushing hit. That "piss and vinegar" Neely talked about? It was on full display, shift after shift.

Getting back to the playoffs is a meaningful step, but Neely knows it's just the beginning. "Now it's up to us," he said. "We have that implemented in our group now. To get better, we need to add more skill at the top end." He praised the team's commitment to competing every night, giving credit to both the players and the coaching staff for embracing that identity.

There's no denying that the Bruins have moved on from the legendary leadership core of Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and Brad Marchand. But their fingerprints are still all over this locker room. "We talked about culture a lot," Neely reflected. "Sean Kuraly mentioned to me after coming back, he's like, 'My God, you take advantage of what this locker room is all about.'"

For fans looking to gear up for the playoff run, the message is clear: this Bruins team might not be the flashiest, but they're built to battle. And in the postseason, that's exactly the kind of team you want to back.