Like Mike Bossy, coach Martin St-Louis is a key figure in Quebec and Laval hockey. Even if he didn’t have the chance to see the former star of the New York Islanders at work, he recognized all the magnitude he had on his sport.
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The hockey world has been in mourning since the announcement of Bossy’s death on Friday morning, and the Canadian pilot has not remained silent in the face of this departure which occurred much too soon. By contemplating his memories at home, he may very well experience special feelings.
“It’s a sad day for the world of hockey and the city of Laval. I grew up in Laval. I was born in 1975, but I still have an idea of the kind of player Mike Bossy was. He was not only extraordinary on the ice, but also off it. Mike, it was he who came to give the trophies to the young people at the end of the season at the Hockey Laval banquet. I have pictures with Mike when I was very young. It was very special,” he said a few hours before his team’s game against the Islanders, the only team Bossy played for in the National League. [LNH].
In addition, St-Louis has someone in his immediate entourage very well placed to tell him about the great achievements of Bossy. The latter was an icon, and not just in the NHL. As a junior, he had four seasons of at least 70 goals, including the second in which he scored 84 times.
“I don’t think anyone has seen more hockey in person than my dad. He was going to see Mike Bossy, he was going to see Mario Lemieux. I’m sure my father, when I talk to him this afternoon, will tell me stories about him when he saw him play with the Laval National,” predicted St-Louis.
A hockey staple
Within the group of players of the Canadian, the veteran Brendan Gallagher was appreciative of the ex-number 22 of the Islanders. His presence and his “fair play” exceeded the limits of the playing surface.
“Mike Bossy is someone who has done so much for hockey and the community. Even after his career. We are thinking of him and his family,” he said.
“He’s a player I often saw play on TV when I was a kid. He is an important figure in Quebec. It’s sad,” said goalkeeper coach Éric Raymond.
-With the collaboration of Jonathan Bernier, of the “Journal de Montréal”