Hockey Hall of Fame forward Mike Bossy revealed on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Bossy, 64, said he will step away from his role as a hockey analyst with TVA Sport as he receives treatment.
“I can assure you that I intend to fight with the determination that you have seen me display on the ice and in my game. That same determination that helped me achieve my dreams,” Bossy wrote in a French language open letter to fans and colleagues.
Bossy played 752 games with the New York Islanders from 1977 to ’87, before he was forced into retirement due to chronic back problems at just 30 years old. He had 573 goals and 553 assists, and played an integral role in an Islanders’ dynasty that resulted in four Stanley Cup championships in the 1980s.
He won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1977-78, the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play three times and the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in 1982.
Bossy, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, captured the hearts of Islanders fans at sold-out Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum during that dynastic run. He was often on a line with fellow Hall of Fame forwards Bryan Trottier and Clark Gillies in a unit known as the “Trio Grande.”