Had it not been for a back injury that forced him to retire at the age of 30, the late Mike Bossy may have been the greatest pure goal scorer the NHL has ever seen.
The New York Islanders’ 15th overall pick in 1977 scored 573 goals in 752 regular season games, adding 85 goals in 129 playoff games, helping New York win four straight Stanley Cups (1980-83).
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Over his 10-year career, he had three 50-goal seasons, and his 21.2 shooting percentage was the fourth-best in NHL history.
But before winning the Cups, scoring 50 in 50 in 1980-81, Bossy had to score his first.
So, let’s look back at the legend’s first NHL gino.
The date was Oct. 13, 1977, the day of Bossy’s first game in the NHL, which was against the Buffalo Sabres.
Down 1-0 after Renee Robert scored a power-play goal for Buffalo at 8:55 of the first period, Bossy tied the score just nine seconds later.
After Sabres goalie Don Edwards turned the puck over to the late Clark Gillies behind the net, the puck went past a tangled-up Bryan Trottier right to Bossy, who buried through the wickets.
Trottier went and got the puck from the net:
Here’s Mike Bossy’s first NHL goal in 1977 (vs Don Edwards). What came after was the greatest pure goal scoring career in NHL history.. pic.twitter.com/fAkL7G4DtR
— Old Hockey Cards (@oldhockeycards) August 3, 2024
Bossy went on to score his second career goal against the Boston Bruins in his second career game before adding two assists in his third career game, which came against the cross-town rival New York Rangers.
Four points through his first three career games should have put the league on notice and likely did.
Ending his rookie season with 53 goals and 38 assists for 91 points in 73 games, Bossy won the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. He was voted to the All-Star team and came in fourth place for the Lady Byng trophy, tallying just three penalties.
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Over his 10-year career, Bossy was an eight-time All-Star, winning three Lady Bying trophies (1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86), and in 2017-18, was included in the NHL’s Greatest 100 Players list, with The Hockey News putting him at No. 20.
Bossy was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, with his No. 22 heading to the rafters of Nassau Coliseum a year later.
Sadly, Bossy passed away on Apr. 15, 2022, after a battle with lung cancer.
He was just 65.
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