Islander Mike Bossy's death shakes Montreal as well
Mike Bossy of the Islanders is jubilant after scoring his 50th goal in 50 games, against the Quebec Nordiques, to tie the record held by Maurice "Rocket" Richard, at Nassau Coliseum on Jan. 24, 1981. Credit: AP
MONTREAL — Mike Bossy was a New York Islander. But the Hall of Famer never strayed from his Montreal roots.
“Walking around Montreal with Mike was like walking around with a member of The Beatles, he was a rock star,” Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky told Newsday. “People just would stop him and here he was, he hadn’t played in 30, 35 years. It was really something to see. He did it with grace. He always had time for people. He was so modest about it.”
It seemed only fitting the Islanders faced the Canadiens on Friday night at Bell Centre, hours after the passing of Bossy at age 65 because of lung cancer was announced. The Islanders added a No. 22 patch to their jersey for Bossy, alongside the No. 9 they are wearing for the late Clark Gillies.
The Canadiens honored Bossy in a touching pre-game video tribute — including a picture of him on a playoff handshake line with Canadiens’ goal-scoring great Guy Lafleur — followed by a moment of silence.
“Maybe I can be more involved in Mike’s situation by him being a Francophone and my dad idolizing him,” said Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier, who grew up in nearby Sorel-Tracy, Quebec and who posted a picture of him and Bossy on Instagram while sending condolences to Bossy’s family.
“He was a big part of when (my dad) was growing up, idolizing him. He would talk about him all the time and how he would play the game,” added Beauvillier, before being asked whether he had relayed that to Bossy. “He didn’t like it. He said it made him feel old and we had a laugh about it. But I did tell him I wanted a picture to make my dad jealous.”
Beauvillier wrote on Instagram the first time he put on an Islanders’ jersey, his father said, “Same team as Mike.”
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, who grew up in nearby Laval, Quebec, also spoke to Bossy’s importance in Montreal.
“It’s hard news,” said St. Louis, like Bossy, is a Hall of Famer. “Mike wasn’t just exceptional on the ice, but off it, too. He used to give out trophies to every young player in Laval. I have a few photos with him.”
It has been a devastating 2022 so far for the Islanders’ family and, in particular, the dynastic team that won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83. Gillies, Bossy’s longtime linemate, passed away at age 67, on Jan. 21. And former Islander Jean Potvin, whose name was engraved with the first two Cup winners, passed away at age 72 on March 15.
“It’s a headshaker,” said Hall of Famer Denis Potvin, Jean Potvin’s younger brother. “I don’t like my evenings, I can tell you that. Because I think so much about the closeness we all had. It’s way too early to lose guys like that. Throw in my brother, who was 72. It’s a shocker. It’s hard to deal with.”
“They’re such good memories,” said MSG Networks’ Butch Goring of winning four the Cups and being with his teammates. “All of a sudden, they’re not gone but it’s almost like somebody sort of took a chunk out of you. First with Clark, then with Jean and now with Boss. I woke up this morning and realized Boss was gone. I won’t see him again. That’s really hard.”
Denis Potvin also remembered how important Montreal was to Bossy.
“No. 1, he was a family man,” Potvin said. “When the season was over, he’d go to Montreal. He was very attached to his heritage and to get back with his family, which is something we all respected.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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