Mike Bossy Dies: New York Islanders Goal Scorer Who Led Team To Four Straight Stanley Cups Was 65
Mike Bossy, a prolific goal scorer who was a key member of the New York Islanders teams that won four straight Stanley Cup titles in the early 1980s, has died at age 65.The Hall of Fame player had revealed a diagnosis of lung cancer last October, stepping away from his duties as a TV analyst for Canadian network TVA in his native Quebec.The Islanders and the NHL confirmed Bossy’s death this morning.In a tweet, Islanders president Lou Lamoriello called Bossy “an icon not only on Long Island but across the entire hockey world.
His drive to be the best every time he stepped on the ice was second to none.”For a certain generation of sports fans, especially in New York, Bossy attained a level of fame nearly on the level of Reggie Jackson or other toasts of the championship-obsessed town.
The string of four straight Cups, from 1980 to 1983, was a feat that has never been duplicated, with the team’s 19 consecutive playoff series wins still a league record.
As the Islanders became a juggernaut, Bossy and teammates like Clark Gilles, Bob Nystrom and Billy Smith, became national media and pop culture figures.Bossy played his entire career with the Islanders after the team selected him in the first round of the NHL Draft.
