Mike Bossy

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CanadaCanada  Mike Bossy Ice hockey player
Hockey Hall of Fame , 1991
Mike Bossy
Date of birth January 22, 1957
place of birth Montréal , Québec , Canada
size 183 cm
Weight 84 kg
position Right wing
number # 22
Shot hand Right
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft 1977 , 1st lap, 15th position
New York Islanders
WHA Amateur Draft 1977 , 5th lap, 44th position
Indianapolis Racers
Career stations
1972-1977 National de Laval
1977-1987 New York Islanders

Michael Dean "Mike" Bossy (born January 22, 1957 in Montréal , Québec ) is a former Canadian ice hockey player . The right winger played over 700 games for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1977 and 1987 . After being named Rookie of the Year with the Calder Memorial Trophy in his first season , he won four Stanley Cups with the team in the early 1980s . He was honored in 1982 as the most valuable player in the playoffs with the Conn Smythe Trophy . He also won the gold medal at the Canada Cup in 1984 with the Canadian national team .

Bossy is unanimously considered one of the best goalscorers in NHL history. His rate of 0.76 goals per game is unmatched in the modern era, while despite his relatively short career he set a number of NHL records that are still valid today . In addition, he led the league's goalscorer list in two seasons ( Maurice Richard Trophy ), with him getting 50 goals in 50 games in one of these seasons , as the second player more than 35 years after Maurice Richard . In addition, the Canadian also impressed with his fair play, so that he was honored three times with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy . In 1991 he was in the Hockey Hall of Fame , chosen before the New York Islanders player's shirt number 22 the following year locked .

Career

As a teenager he played in the Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec with the National de Laval . In the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft , he was selected in the first round in position 15 by the New York Islanders , although the scouts were skeptical about his defensive skills. Head coach Al Arbor replied that he needed a goalscorer and Bossy could work on his defensive behavior. At the Islanders, the right winger usually played in a row with Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier . He was one of the best scorer in NHL history. In his rookie season he already scored 53 goals, won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best newcomer and was elected to the second All-Star Team of the NHL. He is the only player in the NHL to score 50 or more goals in nine consecutive seasons. Wayne Gretzky alone , who is considered one of the best ice hockey players of all time, also scored 50 or more goals nine times. Bossy and Gretzky are also the only players to score 60 or more goals five times in a season. What is particularly noteworthy is that after ten seasons in the NHL, the last of which he was unable to fully complete, Bossy had to end his career due to injury, but Gretzky played twice as many years.

With Bossy's early retirement, there was also no deterioration in stats that are normally seen in players who are well past 30. His goals-per-game average is 76.2% in the regular season and 65.9% in the play-offs . This makes him statistically the most successful goalscorer of all time in the regular season and is only surpassed in the playoffs by Mario Lemieux (regular season 75.41%, play-offs 71.0%). In the 1980/81 season he scored 50 goals in 50 games, which until then only Maurice Richard, 36 years earlier, had succeeded.

Bossy was famous for scoring goals from impossible situations such as: B. when he fell after a check, lying in the air parallel to the ice, poked the puck into the goal. His style of play and his demeanor were also exemplary. At a time when there were more fistfights and tough games on the ice than today, he got by with very few penalty minutes and never took part in fights. Bossy caused a stir when he publicly stated that he would not take part in any fighting on the ice. For his exemplary behavior, he received the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times (1983, 1984 and 1986). He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as best player during the playoffs in 1982 .

He reached the Stanley Cup final five times in a row with the Islanders (1980 to 1984) and was able to win the title four times (1980 to 1983). In those five playoff rounds he scored 69 goals; Wayne Gretzky, who also reached the final five times with the Oilers, scored only 59 goals in these playoffs.

Bossy was chosen five times as the best right winger in the first All-Star team, which apart from him only managed three other right wings, all of whom had played much longer: Gordie Howe (26 years), Maurice Richard (18 years), and Guy Lafleur ( 17 years).

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. His number 22 is no longer awarded by the New York Islanders.

Achievements and Awards

International

  • 1981 silver medal at the Canada Cup
  • 1981 Canada Cup top scorer
  • 1981 Canada Cup All-Star Team
  • 1984 gold medal at the Canada Cup

Records

  • Five seasons with 60 or more goals (together with Wayne Gretzky)
  • Nine seasons with 50 or more goals (together with Wayne Gretzky )
  • Nine consecutive seasons with 50 or more goals ( 1977/78 to 1985/86 )
  • Nine power play goals in one playoff season ( 1981 ; together with Cam Neely )
  • Four game-winning goals in a playoff series ( 1983 against the Boston Bruins )

Career statistics

Regular season Play-offs
season team league Sp T V Pt SM Sp T V Pt SM
1972/73 National de Laval LHJMQ 4th 1 2 3 0 3 0 3 3 0
1973/74 National de Laval LHJMQ 68 70 48 118 45 11 6th 16 22nd 2
1974/75 National de Laval LHJMQ 66 84 65 149 42 16 18th 20th 38 2
1975/76 National de Laval LHJMQ 64 79 57 136 28 - - - - -
1976/77 National de Laval LHJMQ 61 75 51 126 12 7th 5 5 10 12
1977/78 New York Islanders NHL 73 53 38 91 6th 7th 2 2 4th 2
1978/79 New York Islanders NHL 80 69 57 126 25th 10 6th 2 8th 2
1979/80 New York Islanders NHL 75 51 41 92 12 16 10 13 23 8th
1980/81 New York Islanders NHL 79 68 51 119 32 18th 17th 18th 35 4th
1981/82 New York Islanders NHL 80 64 83 147 22nd 19th 17th 10 27 0
1982/83 New York Islanders NHL 79 60 58 118 20th 19th 17th 9 26th 10
1983/84 New York Islanders NHL 67 51 67 118 8th 21st 8th 10 18th 4th
1984/85 New York Islanders NHL 76 58 59 117 38 10 5 6th 11 4th
1985/86 New York Islanders NHL 80 61 62 123 14th 3 1 2 3 4th
1986/87 New York Islanders NHL 63 38 37 75 33 6th 2 3 5 0
LHJMQ total 264 309 223 532 124 37 29 44 73 16
NHL overall 752 573 553 1126 210 129 85 75 160 38

International

Represented Canada to:

Represented the National Hockey League at:

year team event result Sp T V Pt SM
1979 NHL All-Stars Challenge Cup - 3 2 2 4th 0
1981 Canada Canada Cup 2nd place, silver 7th 8th 3 11 2
1984 Canada Canada Cup 1st place, gold 8th 5 4th 9 2
Men overall 15th 13 7th 20th 4th

( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; 1  play-downs / relegation )

Web links

Commons : Mike Bossy  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Bossy, Mike
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bossy, Michael Dean (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH January 22, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Montreal , Quebec , Canada