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Mike Bossy

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

Yr Team GP G AST PTS +/− PIM
Islanders: New York Islanders (NHL).
1977-78 Islanders 73 53 38 91 +31 6
1978-79 Islanders 80 69 57 126 +63 25
1979-80 Islanders 75 51 41 92 +28 12
1980-81 Islanders 79 68 51 119 +37 32
1981-82 Islanders 80 64 83 147 +69 22
1982-83 Islanders 79 60 58 118 +27 20
1983-84 Islanders 67 51 67 118 +66 8
1984-85 Islanders 76 58 59 117 +37 38
1985-86 Islanders 80 61 62 123 +30 14
1986-87 Islanders 63 38 37 75 -7 33
TOTAL 752 573 553 1126 210

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsHockeyMike Bossy Biography - Drafted By The Islanders, Tied Rocket's Record, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Back Problems Affect Play - CONTACT INFORMATION