Mike Bossy - MOD Warning Post #23

[Asheville]

Does anyone else find him fascinating?

-(9) 50-goal seasons (all consecutive; tied with Gretzky for 1st)
-(5) 60-goal seasons (tied with Gretzky for 1st)
-(3) 17-goal playoffs (stands alone)
-Highest goals per game in history (881 GP - 658 G [0.75 GPG]; obviously highly skewed by short career)
-Dynasty Islanders' leading scorer: 72 GP - 61 G - 111 PTS across all 4 Cups
-Canada Cup: 15 GP - 13 G (20 PTS)
-Publicly disavowed fighting and cheapshots at a time when such an opinion wasn't too popular (248 PIMS!!!!!)
-Career over before his 31st birthday
-Never considered for coaching/management jobs

Click to read more...

 

[The Panther]

I believe Gretzky had only eight consecutive 50-goal seasons (likely ten but for his Dec.30th 1987 injury, but them's the breaks). So Bossy is alone with nine.

And yes, I find him fascinating. Certainly a player who went his own way, off-ice. I remember how he once told his teammates that he preferred spending time with his wife to them, so he skipped several team functions.

Was Bossy an anglophone entirely? He spoke only French at home in Long Island (with the wife).

I ordered his book a while back, but Amazon screwed up and I never received it.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Ah yes, Michael Bossy, or as he was also referred to during his junior career with The Laval Nationals, Michel Bossy.

Many considered him too timid to be successful in the NHL, and he ended up being picked 15'th overall by The Islanders, ONLY after coach Al Arbour convinced GM Bill Torrey to take him over Dwight "Dewey" Foster. Arbour reasoned checking was easier to coach than was scoring.

Bossy was immediately placed on a line with Bryan Trottier and Clark Gillies, replacing Billy Harris. As Bossy predicted prior to his rookie year, he proceded to score 50+ goals. 53 I believe, to set a rookie goal scoring record.

My only criticism of Mike Bossy was the terrible perm he sported briefly in his career...

That's just nasty.....

 

[The Panther]

There seemed to be perm-thing for (white) men circa 1980. Not sure what that was all about...

 

[Killion]

There seemed to be perm-thing for (white) men circa 1980. Not sure what that was all about...

.... yes indeed so. hair longer back then so in order to keep it neater and in place.... guys were getting "perms".

 

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Of course, we talk about how he was one of the greatest goal-scorers of all time, but we shouldn't let that completely overshadow the fact that he was defensively responsible, had a great on-ice work ethic, and was dynamite in the playoffs, basically like another Lafleur in that regard.

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

There seemed to be perm-thing for (white) men circa 1980. Not sure what that was all about...

My mother was a hairdresser from about the mid 70's-late 80's. She's told me plenty about how common it was for her to give men a perm back then.

I don't know much about Bossy other than that he was obviously a tremendous goal scorer and had that clutch game where he achieved 50 in 50 in the 11th hour. Where would he rank among the top goal scorers in history? Top 5?

 

[streitz]

Most impressive thing about him is his playoff record. 17 Goals 3 years in a row, crazy.

 

[tony d]

Had a very good career for sure, in my top 5 goal scorers all time (Bobby Hull, Ovie, Lemieux, Maurice Richard) being the others. Shame injuries derailed his career.

 

[sr edler]

My only criticism of Mike Bossy was the terrible perm he sported briefly in his career...

View attachment 158485
That's just nasty.....

Perhaps he should have gone for B. Clarke's impersonation of Prince Valiant instead?

(Valiant and Clarke weren't totally similar as far as playing styles goes though... )

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

Perhaps he should have gone for B. Clarke's impersonation of Prince Valiant instead?

(Valiant and Clarke weren't totally similar as far as playing styles goes though... )

Seeing pictures of Bobby Clarke with his front teeth intact makes me really uncomfortable.

 

[Howie Hodge]

.... yes indeed so. hair longer back then so in order to keep it neater and in place.... guys were getting "perms".

Yes, this was a low point in men's fashion. In Buffalo Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Jim Lorentz, Jerry Korab, Fred Stanfield, and I believe Ric Seiling and Gerry Desjardins had perms. Aweful, really bad...

Ironically, as someone who made "light" of the perm trend, I was assumed to have had one in the late seventies. In truth, I had gotten sick of straightening my hair, and stopped. I suddenly was sporting the curls many wish they had. Yeah, it was kind of weird. I actually had to get my hair "styled" to minimize the damage. I ended up a trend setter with one of the first really good mullets.

All apologies to Mike Bossy for partially hijacking his thread....

 

[Asheville]

Jersey retirement

 

[Asheville]

I believe Gretzky had only eight consecutive 50-goal seasons (likely ten but for his Dec.30th 1987 injury, but them's the breaks). So Bossy is alone with nine.

And yes, I find him fascinating. Certainly a player who went his own way, off-ice. I remember how he once told his teammates that he preferred spending time with his wife to them, so he skipped several team functions.

Was Bossy an anglophone entirely? He spoke only French at home in Long Island (with the wife).

I ordered his book a while back, but Amazon screwed up and I never received it.

Was reading a review of his book which mentions that Bossy notes he was displeased with his experience at the '84 Canada Cup. Makes perfect sense why, having to team up with the young'ns who just knocked off his dynasty. Just seems interesting to actually go out of his way to express annoyance with being on a team he won a title with. Seemed to be a very proud person who had no reservations about expressing his opinion, no matter how unpopular. I've always wondered if he ever came around to respecting Gretzky, as Wayne seems to admire The Boss plenty.

 

[McGuillicuddy]

Was reading a review of his book which mentions that Bossy notes he was displeased with his experience at the '84 Canada Cup. Makes perfect sense why, having to team up with the young'ns who just knocked off his dynasty. Just seems interesting to actually go out of his way to express annoyance with being on a team he won a title with. Seemed to be a very proud person who had no reservations about expressing his opinion, no matter how unpopular. I've always wondered if he ever came around to respecting Gretzky, as Wayne seems to admire The Boss plenty.

Indeed. I'm a fan of Bossy on the ice, but he does always seem to have had sour grapes about Gretzky which is unbecoming.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

Bossy's goal-scoring finishes are 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 8. It's a fabulous record though not exactly "legendary", however if you look at GPG from 1977 to 1987, it's Gretzky by a wide margin, then him by a wide margin, then Kurri by a wide margin. Minus those two (since Kurri's offense doubtlessly relies on Gretzky to some extent), it's Bossy and then a HUGE margin to Tim Kerr.

 

[Spirit of 67]

Goat goal scorer.

With all due respect to Ovie and Wayne. And others.

He was special. The younger crowd will never agree though.

 

[BenchBrawl]

He's a good TV/radio commentator in french.

 

[The Macho King]

He's a good TV/radio commentator in french.

That's one thing he has over Potvin. Potvin is brutal.

 

[ThreeLeftSkates]

A very special player who is currently getting underrated at the current Top 100 project.

He gets zero credit for his assists, which closely mirror his goal totals.
Oh, and period adjusted-like no one had to fish the puck out of the back of the net.

 

[67 others]

This is a man who got more UNDERRATED as time went by

 

[JackSlater]

I think he's a unique player. A finesse winger, but also pretty well rounded and didn't rely on speed or board play. Definitely comes off as different from most other players in that he seems very blunt. I think that he's become a little underrated recently, though that is somewhat balanced out by the people who overrate him due to gpg.

 

[Johnny Engine]

MOD: The entire sidebar about the ongoing top-100 project was full of personal attacks and had nothing to do with the topic of the thread at all. Anything further derailing of the thread will be handled accordingly.

 

[Killion]

MOD: The entire sidebar about the ongoing top-100 project was full of personal attacks and had nothing to do with the topic of the thread at all. Anything further derailing of the thread will be handled accordingly.

Johnny B. Goode.

 

[reckoning]

From his book, Bossy's problems with the Canada Cup in '84 were:

- he was having knee problems after another long season, and would've preferred having some time to rest before the new season.
- the press was constantly asking him about Trottier's decision to play for the U.S., and exaggerating friction between the two of them.
- he never liked Eagleson, whose fingerprints were all over the tournament.
- he was trying to quit smoking, so was already in a crabby mood.

He does mention having some differences of opinion with Sather. For example when the team was in Montreal, Sather wanted him to stay at the hotel. Bossy wanted to stay at his home which was nearby. But overall, he didn't seem to have any issues with the Oilers.