The NHL / Tracy Dodds : Bossy Makes Retirement Official

A year and a half after playing his last game for the New York Islanders, Mike Bossy finally decided to announce his retirement. He didn’t want to give in to his bad back, but he didn’t have much choice.

He had tried to wait it out. He had ended his association with the Islanders when he was insulted by the money offered last summer for a personal services contract. And then he had tried to join another team as a free agent without compensation. But they all knew that his back still hurt.

So on Monday, Bossy made it official. One of the best players in the history of the National Hockey League went into retirement with little fanfare and with no element of surprise.

He deserved better.

At his press conference, Bossy had nothing but nice things to say about the Islanders, the team that had drafted him in 1977 and the team that he led to 4 Stanley Cup titles in his 9 seasons of 50 goals or more.

Bossy said: “I thank (Islander General Manager) Bill Torrey and (former coach) Al Arbour for giving me the chance to prove I could play in the NHL. Bill and Al allowed a skinny kid from Laval, Quebec, who they said couldn’t check a suitcase, to go out there and prove them wrong.”

When Wayne Gretzky moved into the league, it was Bossy who held all the records. In fact, Bossy still holds the record of 53 goals as a rookie and he still leads with his string of 50-goal seasons.

In his early years, it was said by one coach, “All he can do is score.” By the time he and linemate Bryan Trottier were developing into the most fearsome pair on ice, he had become a complete player, and the Islanders were winning championships.

Going in the opposite direction is Guy Lafleur, playing hockey again after a 4-year retirement, and playing well. Lafleur combined the announcement of his comeback with the New York Rangers, with his induction into the Hall of Fame this summer.

Lafleur had scored just 5 goals in his last 40 games with the Montreal Canadiens and he left blaming his former coach, Jacques Lemaire, for destroying his confidence and his general manager, Serge Savard, of betraying him. Lafleur told the New York Times: “That was the worst time of my life. I had a choice of getting ulcers at 33 or retiring.”

So he retired. And, of course, he missed hockey. Phil Esposito, general manager of the Rangers, explained why he bet on Lafleur’s ability to come back:

“My dad always told me the eyes are the windows of the soul, and when I looked into Lafleur’s eyes last summer, all I could see was an intensity and the desire to prove wrong everybody who wrote him off.”

Lafleur was 37 in September. And after all, Esposito himself scored 42 goals at 38.

Lafleur, though, is not the oldest player in the league. That distinction belongs to Larry Robinson of the Canadiens. Robinson was 37 last June.

The Kings, today at their practice rink, will view a demonstration of new protective equipment that the developer, Easton Sports, claims will lessen career-ending injuries by 40%. The material used to make the equipment was originally developed for use in bullet-proof vests for helicopter pilots.

NHL Notes

A computer analysis of NHL rosters shows that the average player is 6 feet tall, weighs 193 pounds and is 25 years old. The average age of the Kings is 27.25, making them the oldest team in the league. . . . Owner Peter Pocklington of the Edmonton Oilers allowed folks at a Carnival of Champions fund-raiser to throw pies at him for $15. Apparently a lot of fans had some frustration to work out after the Wayne Gretzky trade. The charity cashed in.

Jacques Demers, coach of the Detroit Red Wings, is not shy about giving credit to his star, Steve Yzerman. After Yzerman had assisted on 2 goals and scored the winner in overtime against Chicago, Demers said: “In a situation like that, there are three guys I want to have the puck, (Mario) Lemieux, Gretzky or Yzerman.”

Mike Modano went back to Prince Albert of the Western Hockey League rather than sign the contract offered by the Minnesota North Stars after they had made him the No. 1 pick in the draft. He is the first player not to sign with the team that made him the No. 1 pick. The Sporting News quotes his father as saying that the contract was worth $80,000 the first season and a total of $650,000 over 4 seasons. . . . Said North Star Coach Pierre Page after sending nine players to the minor leagues: “What’s so bad about the minors? If you work for a company and they release you, they don’t find a job for you and give you a plan to make it back. They just say, ‘See you.’ ”