The Bruins 81st overall draft choice back in 1988, Joe Juneau was far from a blue chip prospect and elected to play college hockey at RPI where he was well known for having a 4.0 grade point average and earning a degree in just three years in aeronautical engineering, despite the fact that he did not speak English when he first arrived in New York.
After college, Juneau spent a year with the Canadian Olympic team while disputing his contract offer from the Bruins. The sticking point was Juneau’s insistence on being paid full salary even if he was sent to the minors – a demand Boston refused. Juneau would eventually sign with Boston on the team’s terms, and joined the Bruins’ NHL roster right after the Olympics, having never spent a day in the minor leagues. He had an impressive 19 points in 14 regular season games at the end of the 1992.
His best season was his rookie year of 1992–93 with the Bruins. He played left wing with Adam Oates and Cam Neely, scored 32 goals and notched 102 points, setting a NHL record for assists in a season by a left wing (70) that still stands today. Juneau was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and finished second to Teemu Selanne for the Calder Trophy that year.
