Mike Bossy Biography

1957-

Canadian hockey player

Mike Bossy

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.

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.