The Drafting of Mike Bossy
By Stan Fischler
The Islanders could be accused of dreaming because -- really! -- the following episode defied credulity.
How could a National Hockey League team, picking 15th in the 1976 Entry Draft, select a performer who would become the greatest natural scorer of all-time?
And yet, this managerial fantasy act became reality when Bill Torrey selected Mike Bossy on June 14, 1977. And this, despite the fact that Rangers General Manager John Ferguson had both the eighth and 13th picks.
It happened because a dozen non-Islanders scouts suffered from the misapprehension that Bossy wasn't tough enough. One of them was Blueshirts birddog Tommy Savage, who talked Fergie out of taking Mike.
"He's too skinny," Savage asserted. "He won't fight. They'll chase him out of the league."
When Torrey's pick emerged, the Isles also were considering Dwight Foster, who had led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring and was admired as a two-way player. Chief Scout Jim Devellano would be decisive in pushing for Mike.
"I described both players to Bill, Al Arbour and our scouts," recalled Devellano. “Al thought it over and his view was pretty clear. 'If you can assure me that Bossy isn't scared, then take him. Let's go for the home-run hitter.' Then, Al added, 'I can teach a player to check, but I can't teach a player to score -- and we need goals.' I assured Radar that Bossy wouldn't disappoint him. But drafting is a team effort. We decided as a group that Mike was worth the risk."
Bossy had no idea which team would nab him until he received a call from Torrey.
"For me," said Bossy, "it was a wildly exhilarating moment. It didn't matter that 14 Juniors, five right wings and three Quebec Leaguers were taken ahead of me."
Bossy would win the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year, becoming the first Islander to hit the 50-goal mark, not to mention the first freshman to do so in league history.
In one stretch of that memorable debut season, Bossy tallied 15 goals in 14 games and 18 red lights in his first 21 games. And his awareness on defense was 180 degrees different from his Junior style.
"I'll admit that I was a lazy player before I got drafted,” Bossy said. “I knew that there were things that I could get away without doing. It's a matter of concentration. I got away from being lazy in the NHL.
"It hurt my pride to go only 15th in the draft. Since I got to the Island, I started working on my checking. It didn't take me long to become happy with my all-around game in the NHL."
To achieve those goals, Arbour placed Bossy on a line with left wing Clark Gillies and center Bryan Trottier. In no time at all, Boss became the cream in their coffee and the Islanders became the NHL's sweethearts.
"When I came here," laughed Arbour, "people said we'd be in last place for 10 years. There were times when I believed them. Not after seeing Mike with Clark and Bryan."
Indeed, Torrey is legendary for his magical run as GM of the New York Islanders. Nabbing Bossy at number 15 was one of his best tricks.