Mike Bossy

1957-

Canadian hockey player

Amember of the New York Islanders Stanley Cupwinning dynasty (1980-83), right wing Mike Bossy was a scoring machine. A pure scorer, Bossy had a great shot, and was an excellent shooter and skater. He matched Maurice Richard 's record of scoring fifty goals in fifty games. He went on to score at least fifty goals in his first nine seasons, and at least sixty in five seasons. Bossy accumulated much hardware over the course of his career, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff most valuable player, and three Lady Byng Trophies for most gentlemanly play. Though Bossy's career was cut short by back problems, his contributions to the game remain important.

Bossy was born on January 22, 1957, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the sixth of ten children born to Borden Bossy and his British-born wife, Dorothy. Bossy learned to skate when he was three, and often played on a backyard rink his father constructed. He also played street hockey. From an early age, Bossy had the scoring touch. He was the best player for his age as a six-yearold in St. Alphonse Parish in Montreal. Family lore has Bossy scoring twenty-one goals in his first game.

In 1973, Bossy left high school after the 11th grade to play junior hockey. For the next four years, he played for the Laval Nationals in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. While in the league, Bossy scored 309 goals in 240 games. Not all of those goals were easy. He was a marked man, on the receiving end of many cheap shots. Bossy also had two qualities that detracted from his appeal to NHL clubs. He was admittedly unconcerned about defense, never fought, and did not check other players much. This affected where he was drafted in 1977.

Drafted by the Islanders

Because of his problematic qualities in juniors, plus his high salary demands and relatively small stature (only 6' and 185 lbs.), Bossy was not chosen until the 15th pick of the 1977 draft. Six other right wings were chosen ahead of him. The New York Islanders picked him because they believed he could be a good two-way player. Bossy himself was hurt that he dropped to 15th and had something to prove. While his defensive play improved, Bossy would never fight.

When Bossy joined the New York Islanders at the beginning of the 1977-78 season, the team was only five years old and very bad. Coach Al Arbour teamed Bossy with another young player, center and complete player Bryan Trottier , and left wing Clark Gillies to form what came to be called the Trio Grande line. Over the course of the next 11 years, the line scored many goals for the Islanders and were the primary key to their success.

Bossy showed his scoring prowess from the beginning. He scored fifty goals that season, the first rookie to accomplish this feat. He also won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. The Islanders also made it to the quarterfinals of the Stanley Cup, where they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

During his sophomore season, 1978-79, Bossy did not slump. He had thirty-five goals by mid-season, greatly contributing to making the Islanders the highest scoring team in the league. He ended the season with sixty-nine goals, and New York won the President's Trophy for having the most points on the season. The Islanders continued to struggle in the post-season however.

Though Bossy only scored fifty-one goals in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders won the first of four Stanley Cups in 1980. The team finally gelled when they won the Cup, and Bossy was an important component to the team's success. His greatest contribution remained his scoring. By November 1980, Bossy had scored 181 goals in his first 239 games, a record high scoring percentage.

Tied Rocket's Record

During the 1980-81 season, Bossy tied a longstanding record in the NHL. In the 1944-45 season, Maurice "Rocket" Richard scored fifty goals in fifty games. Richard had been a hero of Bossy's from childhood, and Richard had watched Bossy play as a kid in Montreal. Though he was a team player, this was a goal of Bossy's that he announced publicly, putting much pressure on himself. Greatly targeted by opponents, especially by the end, Bossy tied the record by getting two goals in his fiftieth game at home against the Quebec Nordiques.

Though the team goal of winning remained Bossy's focus, he enjoyed scoring and had a number of skills that contributed to his success. He had the ability to get open and shot the puck when he got it. He was also a better skater than most people realized, with good passing and stickhandling skills. As his coach explained to E. M. Swift of Sports Illustrated, "Boss is not overpowering. Boss'll get the odd goal from far out, but his main strength is that he's exceptionally quick and accurate. He's the quickest I've ever seen at getting a shot off."

In 1981, when the Islanders won their second Stanley Cup, Bossy had a record in the playoffs with nine power play goals, proving his scoring touch. One of Bossy's best seasons was in 1981-82, when he scored sixty-four goals and eighty-three assists. During the playoffs, he had a bad leg injury which affected his ability to play the way that he wanted to. Yet in the playoffs, he scored seven goals in a four-game sweep over the Vancouver Canucks. Bossy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player.

Chronology

Awards and Accomplishments

Bossy had sixty goals and fifty-eight assists in the 1982-83 season, the last of the Islanders' four cups. In the early rounds of the playoffs, Bossy struggled, putting up a minus in his plus/minus rating, but the team went on to win. Bossy contributed in another way, however, and was rewarded. In 1983, Bossy won the first of his three Lady Byng Trophies, given for most gentle-manly play. Bossy had been a vocal proponent of clean hockey. He publicly stated he would never drop the gloves to fight.

Back Problems Affect Play

Until the 1986-87 season, Bossy scored at least fifty goals a season. That season, back problems deeply affected his ability to do what he did best: score. His back bothered him from the first day of training camp, and got worse as the season moved forward. He could barely bend over to tie his skates. He lost his mobility, which resulted in him taking more penalties. Bossy only played in 63 games that season, and he was not always effective in the ones he did play in. He scored only thirty-eight goals on the season. Bossy did not know it at the time, but he played last game on May 2, 1987.

Forced to Retire

Bossy hoped to go to training camp in the fall of 1987, but no medical therapy had changed his condition. He then took the 1987-88 season off to try different treatments for his back. Nothing worked, and no one could figure out what exactly was wrong. Though only thirty-one years old, Bossy was forced to officially retire in October 1988. After his playing days were over, he was unable to play hockey or even work out because of his back and knees.

After his retirement, Bossy returned to Laval, in the suburbs of Montreal, with wife Lucie and two daughters, Josiane and Tanya. His first post-hockey project involved going into business with Pierre La Croix, his agent, and working at Titan, a hockey stick manufacturer, as vice president. He was also a broadcaster for the Quebec Nordiques. By the early 1990s, he represented Karhu, another stick manufacturer, and Cumis, an insurance agency, in public relations positions. He also played golf and gave speeches. In 1993, Bossy broke into radio, and by 1994, he had a regular job on early morning talk radio in Quebec. There he displayed his comic abilities until he left in 1996. By 1999, Bossy was doing public relations for Humpty Dumpty potato chips and other firms. He also remained connected to hockey by serving as the ambassador for Chevrolet Safe & Fun Hockey.

At the end of his shortened playing career, Bossy had impressive numbers. He scored 573 goals and 553 assists in only 752 games. In 129 playoff games, he had eighty-five goals and seventy-five assists. When he retired, he held the record for most goals per season average with 57.3. While he wanted to be considered a great overall player, he was basically known for his impressive scoring output. Even he did not completely understand how he did it. As he was quoted as saying by Stan Fischler in The All-New Hockey's 100, "About 90 percent of the time I don't aim: I just try to get my shot away as quick as possible as a surprise element. I just try to get the puck on net."

Career Statistics

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o Hockey Hall of Fame, BCE Place, 30 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario M53 1×8 Canada; 3080 Carriefour, Laval, Quebec H7T 2K9 Canada. Online: www.mikebossy.net.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Fischler, Stan. The All-New Hockey's 100. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1988.

Hickok, Ralph. A Who's Who of Sports Champions: Their Stories and Records. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995.

McGovern, Mike. The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Athletes. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2001.

Periodicals

Anderson, Dave. "Bossy: Scorer with Touch of an Artiste." New York Times (May 17, 1981): section 5, p. 3.

Brooks, Larry. "It was a 50-50 proposition." Sports Illustrated (February 2, 1981): 64.

Brooks, Larry. "The Phantom of the Rinks." Sports Illustrated (January 19, 1981): 37.

Cazeneuve, Brian. "Catching Up With …: Mike Bossy, Islanders Sharpshooter May 14, 1984." Sports Illustrated (October 4, 1999): 18.

Dalla Costa, Morris. "Bossy Passionate from a Distance." London Free Press (January 22, 2002): D6.

Finn, Robin. "Bossy Can't Bear to Watch." New York Times (September 12, 1987): section 1, p. 52.

Finn, Robin. "Bossy's Desire to Play Defeated by Pain." New York Times (October 25, 1988): B11.

Finn, Robin. "Bossy's Stoicism Is Showing Cracks." New York Times (March 24, 1987).

Finn, Robin. "Future at Risk, Bossy Battles Pain." New York Times (February 4, 1987): A23.

Kirshenbaum, Jerry. "Three Islanders Unto Themselves." Sports Illustrated (December 12, 1977): 20.

"A Segue from Blues Lines to Punch Lines." New York Times (December 16, 1994): B17.

Swift, E. M. "Bossy showed 'em who's boss." Sports Illustrated (May 16, 1983): 72.

Swift, E. M. "This Man is an Islander unto Himself." Sports Illustrated (January 22, 1979): 20.

Vecsey, George. "Bossy Left His Numbers Behind Him." New York Times (March 4, 1992): B7.

Vecsey, George. "Bossy: A Search for Perfection." New York Times (November 2, 1980): section 5, p. 1.

Other

"Biography." http://www.mikebossy.net/bio.asp (November 2, 2002).

Feete, David A. "Mike Bossy." LCS Hockey. http://www.lcshockey/com/archive/greats/bossy.asp (November 2, 2002).

"The Legends: Players: Mike Bossy: Biography." The Legends of Hockey. http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/Legen. (November 2, 2002).

"The Legends: Players; Mike Bossy: Career Statistics." LCS Hockey. http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/Legen. (November 2, 2002).

"Mike Bossy." http://www.hockeysandwich.com/bossy.html (November 2, 2002).

Rumble, Eric. "Interview with Mike Bossy." Chevrolet Safe & Fun Hockey. http://www.gmcanada.com/english/special/chev_safeandfun/saf_coac (November 2, 2002).

Sketch by A. Petruso