A legend has left us.
Mike Bossy, one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history and one of the greatest Islanders of all time, has passed away from lung cancer. He was 65.
“The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but across the entire hockey world,” Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. “His drive to be the best every time he stepped on the ice was second to none.”
The former NHL winger tallied 1,126 points (573 goals and 553 assists) during his 10-year career with the Islanders. Bossy helped lead the Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1980 to 1983.
In addition, Bossy is one of two players to score consecutive Stanley Cup-winning goals as he did so in 1982 and 1983.
Bossy won the Calder Trophy in 1978, was a three-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner, and won the Conn Symthe award in 1982. He also led the league in goals during the 1978-79 and 1980-81 seasons.
Bossy was the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in 50 games and was the first player in NHL history to score 60 goals in 3 consecutive seasons.
Bossy announced last October that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Bossy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2017 was named one of the NHL’s 100 greatest players.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called Bossy a “dynamic winger” whose goal-scoring prowess ranks among the greatest in NHL history.
“Though containing him was the obsession of opposing coaches and checking him the focus of opposing players, Bossy’s brilliance was unstoppable and his production relentless throughout his entire career,” Bettman said. “He thrilled fans like few others.”
Before reaching the NHL, Bossy played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Laval National. He had 602 points in 298 QMJHL games. Bossy also represented Canada at the Canada Cup in 1981 and 1984, long before NHL players began competing at the Winter Olympics.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Top: FILE – N.Y. Islanders coach Al Arbour, left, talks with his top scorer Mike Bossy during a break in practice in Denver, March 17, 1982. Bossy, one of hockey’s most prolific goal-scorers and a star for the New York Islanders during their 1980s dynasty, died Thursday, April 14, 2022, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 65. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)
