Bruins Hall of Famer Cam Neely thoroughly enjoyed his playing days in Beantown.

AP / Adrian Wyld

NEWTON, Mass. — A dozen Red Sox prospects recently got a firsthand experience of what it is like to play in Boston.

During the Sox’ annual Rookie Development Program, someone from outside the organization speaks to the players in a classroom-type setting. The Red Sox bring in someone who understands the pressures and what it takes to win in Boston.

Cam Neely epitomizes that.

But many of these young players from all around the country had no idea who this guy with the crooked nose and scared face was. After all, most of them were babies when Neely was in the prime of his career.

“Yeah, the hockey guy, absolutely,” said Red Sox catching prospect Mark Wagner. “A lot of guys, unfortunately, only knew him as the hockey guy. Or they knew him from one of his movies.”

Neely, now vice president of the Bruins, is a friend of Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the filmmakers from Cumberland who cast Neely in their movie Dumb and Dumber after his Hall of Fame career was over.

The prospects didn’t know him prior to the week-long program, but they do now.

They were shown a five-minute video montage of Neely’s career. They saw No. 8 applying teeth-shattering, bone-crushing body checks and punches in his prime with the Bruins. They saw blood, guts and glory and were blown away.

“He was great,” said Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen. “For a guy who had so much success in Boston, you could just tell when he was speaking, the degree of focus he had when he played here and what drove him to be who he was.”

Neely told the baseball players: “I didn’t want to be just a good NHL player. I wanted to show up every day and be the best player on the ice.”

“I think that’s a great message for these young guys to hear,” added Hazen. “It’s not about getting here. It’s about, if you want to be good, it’s about getting out there and excelling.”

While the footage from Neely’s playing days was rolling, Neely was laughing and having a good time with the youngsters.

“It was great, actually, I really enjoyed it,” Neely said. “It was different and it kind of came out of the blue. I spoke with [Red Sox vice president of player personnel] Ben [Cherington] and he explained to me what they wanted to try to accomplish. It was great.”

His message was simple.

“I told them to understand the history of the organization and learn what types of players came through that organization and why they had success. For the most part you look at the work ethic of those players. I told them to be proud to be a Boston Red Sox.”

He also gave them a few pointers just in case a bench-clearing brawl breaks out.

“I actually made the comment that there are more bench-clearing brawls in baseball now than in hockey,” laughed Neely. “I told them, ‘Generally what happens is the batter gets upset with the pitcher and all you guys have to run out on the field and figure out what’s going on.’ ”

According to a person in the room during Neely’s talk, he said he mentioned something about leaving their purses in the dugout. He was obviously having fun with the youngsters.

“He said, ‘Make sure if you get in a fight, swing first,’ ” joked Wagner. “He was a great guy.”

The Bruins have a similar program during the summer, but they might take a page from the Sox’ development philosophy and maybe incorporate an outsider to speak with their hockey prospects in the future.

jmcdonal@projo.com