Mike Bossy. Any/much Hobby Love?
 

I posted this on Blowout so I decided to post it here as well.

How does this guy not get more hobby recognition? His records/stats speak for themselves. Are their many collectors who collect him?

Bossy won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1978 as NHL rookie of the year. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs as the most valuable player. He is one of two players to score consecutive Stanley Cup-winning goals (1982 and 1983) and the only player to record four game-winning goals in one playoff series (1983 Conference Final). He is the NHL's all-time leader in average goals scored per regular season game, holds the NHL's third-highest all-time average points scored per regular season game, and is one of only five players to score 50 goals in 50 games.

Bossy was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2017 he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.[2]

On February 19th, 1979, Bossy recorded his 100th goal in his 129th game, becoming the fastest to reach that milestone,[33] and his two-year total of 122 goals was the most by any NHL player over his first two seasons.

Bossy's season included an NHL-record 9 hat tricks,[57] and he finished the season with 68 goals, and through his first four seasons had the highest goals per game average in NHL history with .785

Bossy became the first to score at least 60 goals in three consecutive seasons in 1982-83, and collected 118 points.[85] At the end of the season, Bossy won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

At the end of his shortened playing career, Bossy had impressive numbers. He scored 573 goals and 553 assists in only 752 games. In 129 playoff games, he had eighty-five goals and seventy-five assists. When he retired, he held the record for most goals per season average with 57.3.

During Gretzky's interview with the New York Post in 1993, he praised Bossy as the best right-winger ever to play, saying that their scoring totals would have been even higher if the two had played together.

Awards
Award Year(s)
Calder Memorial Trophy 1978
All-Star Game 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986
First All-Star Team 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
Second All-Star Team 1978, 1979, 1985
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 1983, 1984, 1986
Conn Smythe Trophy 1982
Stanley Cup 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983

As of 2018, Bossy holds or shares the following NHL records:

Most consecutive 50+ goal seasons: 9
Most 50+ goal seasons (not necessarily consecutive): 9 (tied with Wayne Gretzky)
Most 60+ goal seasons (not necessarily consecutive): 5 (tied with Wayne Gretzky)
Highest goals-per-game average, career (minimum 200 total goals): .762 goals per game
Most power-play goals, one playoff season: 9 (tied with Cam Neely)
Most consecutive hat tricks: 3 (tied with Joe Malone, who accomplished this twice)
In January, 2017, Bossy was part of the second group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.[2]
He also led the league in goals twice, in 1978-79 and 1980-81 (both predate the Rocket Richard Trophy).

Here is a selected list of other official NHL record categories where Bossy was once the record-holder and/or is ranked very highly:

Goals, career: 21st all-time with 573; only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky reached 500 in fewer games
Goals, regular season and playoffs combined, one season: seventh all-time with 85 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
Assists by a right wing, one season: second all-time with 83 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
Points by a right wing, one season: second all time with 147 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
Goals by a rookie, one season: second all-time with 53 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
100+ point seasons, career: fourth all-time with 7
Goals per game, playoffs, career: Second all-time with .659
Goals per game, regular season and playoffs combined, career: Second all-time with .747
Points per game, career: third all-time
Assists per game, career: eighteenth all-time
Shooting percentage, career: fourth all-time with 21.18%
Hat tricks, one season: tied for third all-time with 9 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
Hat tricks, career: third all-time with 39
Bossy has several significant career achievements that are not official NHL records. He reached 100 career goals faster (in terms of career games played) than any other player in modern NHL history, requiring just 129 games to accomplish this.

In the 1980–81 NHL season, he scored 50 goals in the first 50 games of the season - only the second player, and the first in almost 40 years, to achieve this. He remains one of only five players who can claim to have accomplished this. He is the only player to score 17 goals in three consecutive playoff years.

Bossy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Bossy#Awards

I have since found what looks like a very nice centered Mike Bossy OPC RC. (Just waiting for it to be delivered)
If it is as nice as it looks in the scans/pics, I think I am going to be very happy with it?
A couple small corner touches/dings, but the centering, which is super tough with his OPC card, looks to be spot on. Fingers crossed.

This card just arrived today, which is my first correct era playing card of his. Looking forward to collecting more. :)

Hi Dale,
I think Bossy cards are undervalued because the Islanders lived in the Oilers shadow during the 1980's. As for his RC, it is super tough to find centered, here's mine.
Jeff

I assume the three biggest factors are the shortened career, Gretzky coming in a few years into his career, and completely overshadowing him as the offensive weapon of the generation, and his Topps Rookie card being in a set that was at one time considered to be grossly overproduced, compared to other sets of the era.

I think this was due to a ton of overstock vending cases surfacing sometime in the 80's or so.

Similar to Lemieux, even when he was playing, he was often playing with, or through, serious injuries. As awesome as he was, he could have been even better.

He's always kind of interested me, and I wish I had picked up a bunch of his Rookies when they were cheap (his Topps version anyways, his OPC was always selling at much more of a premium).

As is, all I really have is a Junior League vintage photo I have floating around here somewhere.

I saved a lot of ticket stubs as a kid. Found during quarantine were 1980, 1981 Cup clinchers. Apparently lost is 1983 - this kills me because of all the games I ever attended, this is the most memorable. No idea where that stub went.

Anyway, I pick out 5 games and looked them up on hockey reference. Bossy scored 14 goals in those random picked games.

Best natural scorer I ever saw. Brett Hull, man, I’m going to get killed for writing this, was a poor man’s Bossy.

I ran into Bossy in an elevator in the Coliseum within the last 10 years. I had never met him so I introduced myself, shook his hand. My hand disappeared into his grip. Like a baby’s hand. Love that guy...

Nah, I think most would probably agree with you.

Imagine if he played for Toronto or Montreal.

I think that is a big part of it. The Islanders never got their due because of the Oilers and Gretzky hype.
Vid I saw of Gretzky, he said when they walked by the Islanders dressing room, after losing the Stanley Cup to them, he said the Islanders, when they looked in, were exhausted and covered in ice packs and here they were walking out like they could play another game. He said it was then that he realized that if they were going to win Stanley Cups, they had to model their approach like the Islanders did.

Very nice card, Jeff! An 8 is super tough to come by.

Likely all true, Dave.

Personally, I had quit collecting by that time so the thoughts of ever picking up some of his cards didn't even cross my mind. Different times back then as well compared to today.

Total body of work. Absolutely amazing talent. But all of the averages tend to go down the longer a player plays (goals/game, Points/game, etc..) counting numbers are important beyond the Golden Era.

I dont think this is the case. Bossy won 4 cups before the Oilers won their first.

Islanders dominated for 4 years between the Canadiens Dynasty of the late 1970's and the Oilers Dynasty of the 1980's.

Probably more to do with Bossy's relatively short career (11 years)

Dad always said, if you are looking for the 5th Isles Cup, it isn’t in 84, it’s 78 or 79.

All I know is this thread is going to cost me money. I let my Bossy pc lay dormant while I spend my hobby funds elsewhere, but dang it if now I can't stay off of the Bossy Ebay search. So many nice Bossy stuff out there.

Sorry, Rob. :D

By the sounds of it, you and I may be competing with each other looking for Bossy cards. ;)

My Mike Bossy OPC RC arrived today and I couldn't be happier. :)
A couple small corner touches/bumps but no wrinkles, creases, dents or scratches.
As most know, finding this OPC card centered is very tough so I am extremely happy with this one. :cool:

Couldn't agree more. I have added Bossy to my Ebay search. Love reading this thread.

Great looking card. Now I need to find one.

:D

Thanks David.