50 goals in 50 games
By stan fischler and zach weinstock
"I told the scouts to pick him up quick," bragged Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. "But they didn't listen."
It was January 1981 and Canada's favorite son was toasting fellow Magnificent Montrealer Mike Bossy on a phone call with outlets all over the continent.
But why would Richard, who'd retired in 1960, hold a press conference in 1981?
Well, the Canadiens legend had set an NHL record for goals in a season with 50 in the 50-game 1944-45 campaign. Since then the regular season ballooned to 80 games and the single-season goal scoring record was now held by Phil Esposito, who struck 76 times in 78 contests for the 1970-71 Bruins. "Espo" was no doubt a scoring machine, but he was neither Bossy's hometown hero nor boyhood idol.
The Boss wanted to be like the Rocket. He revealed as much to his brother-in-law Bob over the summer of 1980. "Scoring 50 goals was a thrill," Mike later recalled, "but it wasn't going to be enough. I needed a greater challenge. I was going for 50-in-50."
That would be quite a bump for the fourth-year sniper. The most lamps he'd lit in the first 50 games of any previous season had been 41 in 1977-78.
When the curtain lifted on 1980-81, the Isles' best shooter got off to his worst start yet, with just five goals in the first 10 games. But in early November he began to soar, hitting 14 jackpots in a two-week stretch. All of a sudden he had 19 goals in 16 games.
Meanwhile mum was the word between Mike and brother-in-law Bob, although Bossy finally tipped off linemate Bryan Trottier about his crusade. The three-way secret remained sealed until December 21, 1980. On that night Bossy scored once in each period, stretching his total to 37 goals in 36 games as the Islanders trounced the Blackhawks, 9-0, in Chicago. After the game, Mike publicly revealed that he was aiming for Richard's 50-in-50 mark.
"I know I need another 13 in the next 14 games," he said. "The team's doing well, my linemates are going great, and that makes it easier."
But "easy" it was not.
Bossy hit a wall, and it didn't help that Nassau police reported a death threat against him, later assumed to have come from a prankster; a disgruntled fan of Richard's.
Things just weren't going Bossy's way anymore. For example, on January 10 he beat Bruins goalie Rogie Vachon at the final buzzer, but the would-be tying goal was deemed a split-second tardy, dooming Bossy to his sixth scoreless game in eight outings.
Mike shot par the following night in Philadelphia with his 41st goal of the season, leaving nine red lamps outstanding and only five games left to light them.
The 50-in-50 story was steadily fading away. It was now or never.
That's when a spate of Pittsburgh naughtiness put the Rocket's record back in reach.
The Penguins waddled to the Coliseum penalty box for much of Game 46, leading to a trio of power play markers by the great Number 22. Then with just seconds remaining, Trottier generously handed the puck off on a two-on-none breakaway rather than hitting the empty net himself. Bossy said thanks and nailed the bull's-eye. A four-goal night!
"That was really nice of Trots," Bossy gushed. "Obviously Trots is thinking about the goal record. He knows it's something he wants me to accomplish. He also knows I'd do the same for him."
With that performance the Quixotic Quebecois tied the league record with seven hat tricks in a season. Not bad for mid-January.
What's better, he broke the record in the very next game against Washington, striking thrice in the final 21 minutes of the contest for his 46th, 47th and 48th goals of the year. The outburst had Bossy back on track. "My chances look a lot better than they did a few days ago," he said. "I should get the record, unless I'm run over by a truck."
The good news was Mike was not run over by a truck.
What he did collide with, however, was the reality of life in the National Hockey League. Scoring goals is hard – at least it's supposed to be! Especially when the Isles' opponents in Games 48 and 49, Calgary and Detroit, made stopping Bossy their primary objective. "I don't know many times I was held, tripped or cross-checked," Mike griped. "I told their players I might not score the way they were guarding me so closely, but that they weren't going to win the game either, if that makes them happy."
The Islander players voiced displeasure with Bossy's treatment. Coach Al Arbour reminded the club, "We're still worried about winning games, most of all."
Bossy peeled himself off the ice, while his teammates cruised to a pair of easy shutout victories. But he didn't score. Excitement was reduced to concern as it all came down to Game 50 on January 24, 1981 at the Coliseum against the Quebec Nordiques, who continued the "Anyone But Bossy" strategy, hounding Mike with double and triple coverage.
But unlike the Flames and Red Wings, the Nordiques were able to score themselves, and the game was tied 4-4 midway through the third.
Coach Arbour gave his record-seeker extra ice time, skating Boss for over 24 minutes – twice as much as any other player, amid ravenous chants of "BOSS-EE! BOSS-EE" from the Coliseum faithful. Exhortations notwithstanding, Bossy remained scoreless heading down the stretch.
"I was awful," he said. "I wasn't doing anything out there, and for a while, I thought I might never score again, much less tonight."
The minutes continued to disappear and the quest for 50-in-50 was on life support, though it was slightly revived when Quebec's Michel Goulet was penalized for tripping with 6:04 to go.
Two goals in 6:04? Possible, but not probable given the way the Isles fumbled the power play.
With under 10 seconds remaining in the penalty, Stefan Persson's shot hit a defender and skimmed toward Bossy, who stuffed a backhander under goalie Ron Grahame's pads. Forty-nine down; one more to go.
By this time everyone in the Coliseum was holding his or her breath, hoping for one more break as the clock became Mike's worst enemy, ticking under three minutes, then two.
The Isles may have been leading 5-4 on the scoreboard, but it was quite obvious they were pressing for another Bossy goal.
With just over a minute and a half to play, Trottier intercepted a clearing attempt at right point and whipped a diagonal pass to Bossy near the left dot. When the puck hit Bossy's stick it bounced a few inches off the ice. He didn't wait, whacking it before it even touched back down. The shot whipped between Graham's wickets – and IN!
The time was 18:31. The Coliseum seemed to lift a few feet off its hinges.
50 in 50!
The joy exuding from Bossy was unambiguous as he leaped sky-high then turned up ice with arms raised and did the "Running Man" – hardly an easy move on skates – while screaming "I did it! I did it!" The team jumped over the boards to join the celebration, incurring an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for their trouble. There were no complaints, even from Coach Arbour. "I'm sure glad that's over," he mused in the victorious home locker room. "It was exciting though."
"I had brought this all on myself," reflected the evening's hero. "But my teammates were really pumping me up. I'm so happy."
