Mike Bossy, a former New York Islander and Hockey Hall of Famer, died on Friday at the age of 65, according to the franchise.
Bossy revealed in October that he was leaving his work as a hockey analyst with a Canadian French-language hockey broadcaster, after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Bossy was selected No. 15 in the 1977 NHL Draft and went on to win the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year after scoring 53 goals and 91 points in 91 games with the Islanders.
He spent his whole 10-year career with the team, scoring 573 goals and finishing as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
The Canadian hockey player is ranked 22nd all-time in NHL goals and was a member of the team that set an NHL record by winning 19 consecutive playoff series.
“The New York Islanders organization mourns the passing of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but across the hockey world,” said Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello in a statement released on Friday.
“His desire to be the best each time he walked onto the ice was unrivalled. He and his colleagues helped the team win four straight Stanley Cup championships, forever changing the franchise’s history.”
“On behalf of the whole organization, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Bossy family and all those who have been affected by this awful loss.”
In 1992, Bossy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2017, he was named to the NHL’s 100 greatest players list.
“The National Hockey League mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, the dynamic winger whose goal-scoring prowess during a remarkable 10-year career ranks, by almost any measure, as one of the greatest in NHL history and propelled the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement on Friday.
