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Known for his scoring proficiency, the NHL Hall of Fame helped lead the Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup wins from 1979 and 1983.
Daughter Tanya Bossy said her father was "no longer in pain.”
"My dad loved hockey, sure, but first and foremost he loved life," she said in a statement in French on behalf of the Bossy family. "Until the end of his journey, he hung on. He wanted to live more than anything."
Bossy announced his cancer diagnosis in October 2021.
“It is with a lot of sadness that I need to step away from your screens, for a necessary pause,'' Bossy wrote in French in a letter to TVA Sports. "I intend to fight with all the determination and fire you've seen me show on the ice.”
A Montreal native, Bossy scored 50 goals in nine of his 10 NHL seasons before his career was cut short by a hip injury in his age 30 year. He totaled 572 goals in 752 games, with a 0.76 goals per game average, the highest mark in NHL history.
Bossy was an eight-time All-Star, won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP, and three times won the Lady Byng Award for sportsmanship.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 and then worked as an NHL broadcaster for years. In 2017, he was named one of the NHL’s "100 Greatest Players.”
“The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but across the entire hockey world," Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said in a statement. "His drive to be the best every time he stepped on the ice was second to none.
“Along with his teammates, he helped win four straight Stanley Cup championships, shaping the history of this franchise forever,” he continued. "On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Bossy family and all those who grieve this tragic loss.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman issued a statement of his own lamenting the loss of the Islanders legend.
“Though containing him was the obsession of opposing coaches and checking him the focus of opposing players, Bossy's brilliance was unstoppable and his production relentless throughout his entire career,” he said.
“Our deepest condolences go out to his wife, Lucie, their daughters, Josiane and Tanya, his former Islanders teammates, and his countless fans on Long Island, the New York metropolitan area, and throughout the hockey world. He thrilled fans like few others."
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