Islanders great Mike Bossy dies at 65
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. - Former New York Islander star Mike Bossy has died.
The team announced the Hockey Hall of Fame forward and four-time Stanley Cup champion succumbed to his battle with lung cancer.
Bossy announced last October he had been diagnosed with the disease.
"It is with a lot of sadness that I need to step away from your screens, for a necessary pause," Bossy wrote in French. "I intend to fight with all the determination and fire you've seen me show on the ice.
In his career, Bossy was known for his incredible goal-scoring ability.
He finished his career with 573 goals in his 10 years with the Islanders, and remains the all-time leader in goals per game.
The Islanders called Bossy an icon, not just on Long Island, but across the entire hockey world.
Bossy was 65.
A team spokesman said Bossy was in his native Montreal when he passed.
It's the third loss from that Islanders era this year after fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Clark Gilles died in January and Jean Potvin died in March.
"The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but 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. Along with his teammates, he helped win four straight Stanley Cup championships, shaping the history of this franchise forever. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Bossy family and all those who grieve this tragic loss. "
Bossy helped the Islanders win the Stanley Cup from 1980-83, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1982. He scored the Cup-winning goal in 1982 and '83.
Bossy was a first-round pick in 1977 and played his entire 10-year NHL career with New York. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, got the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly conduct three times and led the league in goals twice.
Bossy scored 50 or more goals in each of his first nine seasons — the league's longest streak. He and Wayne Gretzky are the only players in hockey history with nine 50-goal seasons.
Bossy is one of only five players to score 50 goals in 50 games. He remains the all-time leader in goals a game in the regular season at 0.762, and only two players have recorded more hat tricks than Bossy's 39.
He ranks third in points a game and seventh on the all-time scoring list. Those are all in the regular season when Bossy put up some of the best numbers in the history of the game. In the playoffs, Bossy was even more clutch. He is the only player with four game-winners in the same playoff series and scored three playoff overtime goals.
Led by Bossy, Gillies, Bryan Trottier and defenseman Denis Potvin, the Islanders succeeded Scotty Bowman's 1970s Montreal Canadiens as the NHL's next dynasty before Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers took over the sport.
Bossy was an eight-time All-Star and finished with 573 goals and 553 assists for 1,126 points in 752 regular-season games. He was the fastest player to reach the 100-goal mark and currently ranks 22nd on the career goals list. In the playoffs, Bossy had 160 points in 129 games.
Back and knee injuries ultimately ended his career in 1987. He was limited to 38 goals in 63 games and unable to return for an 11th season.
Bossy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2017 was named one of the NHL's 100 greatest players.
His number, 22, was retired on March 3, 1992, and hangs in the UBS Arena.
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 going to the Winter Olympics.
