Hall of Famer Mike Bossy, one of the greatest goal scorers to ever play in the NHL, died on Friday at the age of 65 after battling lung cancer.
It resulted in an outpouring of condolences and memories from all around the league as former players and teams all shared stories of one of the most impactful players in NHL history and a core piece to the great New York Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s.
The Islanders were in action on Friday night visiting the Montreal Canadiens. Both teams and a sold out Bell Centre took part in a pre-game moment of silence to honor the NHL legend.
Bossy played 10 years for the Islanders between 1977 and 1987, scoring 573 goals in 752 regular season games. He topped the 50-goal mark in nine of those seasons, only falling short in his final season when he scored 38 goals in 63 games during the 1986-87 season. He won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders and won Conn Smythe Trophy. He also led the league in goals on two different occasions.
Bossy’s .762 goals per game (an average of 62 goals per 82 games) is still the highest mark in NHL history.
[Related: Mike Bossy, Islanders legend and Hall of Famer, dies at 65]
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.