NEW YORK — On a team known for its blue-collar grit, Mike Bossy was the elegant, finely tailored deal-closer, as pure a goal-scorer as hockey has produced, with a prime that neatly aligned with the Islanders’ dynasty years.
He was but one of many essential elements that led to four Stanley Cups in four seasons in the early 1980s. But Bossy's contributions were unique.
So when the Islanders announced on Friday morning that he had died at age 65, after he announced in October that he had lung cancer, the news hit hard in the Islanders community — and the broader hockey world beyond.
