Vancouver Canucks fans of the early 1980s may have hated Mike Bossy at the time, but it was the kind of hate that fades with time, the kind that came from losing to greatness rather than the kind that is earned with evil on the ice.
Mike Bossy was one of the classiest and most talented players in NHL history, and it just happened that when Richard Brodeur led the 1982 Vancouver Canucks to their first ever Stanley Cup final (on an unlikely Cinderella run), they had the misfortune to meet Mike Bossy and the New York Islanders in the final.
The Islanders were, of course, in the midst of their famous dynasty that saw a string of Stanley Cups. And in that particular playoff season, Bossy dominated the Canucks and stole the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) right from Richard Brodeur’s grasp.
Years later, Canucks fans and the entire NHL have no choice but to respect and admire Mike Bossy’s achievements in hockey. They have been paralleled by few, and he is considered by many to be the greatest pure goal scorer the game has ever seen.
His storied run began in the 1977-78 season (represented by the 1978-79 production run of hockey cards by O-Pee-Chee and Topps). During this season, Bossy set an NHL record for goals by a rookie with 53. He then went on to score 50 or more in his next 8 seasons, with the nine in a row being another NHL record.
He peaked in 1978-79 with 69 goals, and in 1981-82 with 83 assists and 147 points. In the 1980-81 season, he joined the incredibly exclusive club of players to score 50 goals in their first 50 games of a season.
Sadly, injuries cut his career short after only 752 games. However, this did not stop him from scoring 573 goals and 1126 points, for the best goals-per-game and one of the best points-per-game ratios in NHL history. His playoff numbers were equally impressive, with 85 goals and 160 points in 129 games.
His legendary NHL career followed a legendary junior career that saw him score 70 or more goals in four consecutive seasons. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, with the Islanders retiring his jersey (#22) shortly thereafter.
