The personal collection of one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history will be included in the Heritage Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction, with bidding beginning Feb. 2.
More than 100 items from the career of Mike Bossy will be included in the auction. The collection includes game-used memorabilia such as jerseys and sticks, autographed items, and numerous awards he has won from his days playing junior hockey in Quebec to his NHL career as well as international competition.
Bossy, a native of Montreal, was a superstar in junior hockey with the Laval National before being selected 15th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1977 NHL Draft. Bossy scored 53 goals as a rookie and became the only player in NHL history to score 50 goals in nine straight seasons. The only time in his career he did not score 50 was in his 10th and final season, when he scored 38. Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin are the only other players with nine 50-goal seasons, though they were not consecutive. He and Gretzky are the only players with five 60-goal seasons.
Bossy, playing with Clarke Gillies and Bryan Trottier on the Trio Grande line, led the NHL in goal scoring twice. He won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1997, he was ranked number 20 on the Hockey News’ list of the 100 greatest NHL players.
In Oct., 2021, Bossy announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was a heavy smoker throughout his hockey career. Bossy died of cancer in April, 2022.
Rings
Of Bossy’s four Stanley Cup titles, two of his championship rings are in the sale, 1980 and ’81.
Their four-year run followed a four-year run by the Montreal Canadiens, who won the Stanley Cup from 1976-79. Each carries a presale estimate of $40,000 or more. His personal Stanley Cup trophies from 1980 and ’81 are also in the catalog ($20,000+ each) along with his Hockey Hall of Fame ring (Est. $20,000+).
First Trophy
One of the most interesting Bossy items is the first award he ever won. The trophy was presented to him as a nine-year-old minor hockey player in Quebec. Comprised of a wood frame displaying two photographs – an individual shot and a team image. Both photos exhibit heavy wear but these distractions are acceptable considering the historical importance of the piece.
Jerseys, Pucks, Awards
The earliest known Bossy game worn jersey is up for grabs as well. It is a junior hockey sweater with “Quebec” on the front and his number 17 on the sleeves and back.
The jersey was worn in a three-team tournament featuring junior all-stars from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario hockey League, and the Western Hockey League. It was worn in the 1976-77 season.
The puck Bossy fired for the first of his 573 regular season goals in October of 1977 in a road game at Buffalo is expected to bring $10,000 or more.
Four of the trophies included in the auction are monthly awards from his junior career. Molson sponsored the monthly Molson Cup, which was awarded to the player who earned the most points in three-star selections from each team. There are four Molson Cups available in the auction.
In his first year in the NHL, Bossy won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. The trophies are kept at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. However, the winning player received a commemorative plaque for winning the award. Bossy scored 53 goals as a rookie, a record that was broken 15 years later when Teemu Selanne scored 73 goals as a rookie for the Winnipeg Jets.
Measuring at 10” x 13”, the item showcases a metal plaque at the bottom that reads: “Calder Memorial Trophy Winner 1977-78 Mike Bossy New York Islanders.” The award exhibits wear and the two black pucks that were an original part of the item are no longer attached.
Bossy’s 1979 and ’86 All-Star jerseys and a 1983-84 Islanders gamer will also be up for bids but perhaps the most significant game-used jersey in the auction is Bossy’s game-worn home white jersey from the 1981 Canada Cup.
The Canada Cup originated in 1976 and was played before the regular season. The tournament spawned from the Canada-Soviet Summit Series and became the first hockey tournament that featured the best on best, with pro players from each country participating. Professionals were not allowed to paly in the Olympics at that time, and there was no other tournament with a World Cup format. The tournament was hosted by Canada and was, at the time, the largest hockey tournament in the world. Canada, USA, Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland took part.
While the Soviet Union won the 1981 Canada Cup, Canada rebounded to win the 1984 Canada Cup. Bossy scored eight goals and three assists in seven games in the 1981 Canada Cup. In 1984, he recorded five goals and four assists in eight games. John Tonelli was named series MVP but Bossy contributed mightily to the cause with a dramatic game winning overtime goal versus the defending champion Soviet team in the semi-finals. The trophy Bossy received after Canada captured the Canada Cup in 1984 is one of the highlights of the auction. The 11 1/2″ wood plaque displays a pewter maple leaf and chrome inscription plate which reads “Coupe Canada Cup.”
Also included is an oversized photograph (11” x 14” mounted on board) of Bossy scoring his overtime winner which is signed and inscribed “Mike Bossy OT Winner 84” in blue ink.
One unusual item in the auction that is personal and not hockey related is Bossy’s Canadian passport. It dates to 1991-96, which is after Bossy’s playing career was finished.
The collection is part of the Heritage Winter Platinum Night Auction, which will close over a two-night period, Feb. 24 and 25.
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