Mike Bossy flopped to the ice as the puck went in, then scrambled to his feet and leaped into the air to celebrate scoring another goal. It was a familiar sight as the New York Islanders were on their way to their third of four consecutive Stanley Cup titles.

Bossy danced on his skates the same way after his 50th goal in 50 games, but so many other times, his reaction was more muted simply because he scored so much and so often, more than almost anyone in the long history of the NHL.

The Hockey Hall of Famer died Thursday night of lung cancer. Bossy was 65.

“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,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday. “He thrilled fans like few others.”

An Islanders spokesman said Bossy was in his native Montreal, where the team will play Friday night against the Canadiens. Before taking the ice on an emotional night at Bell Centre, Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier shared what Bossy meant to his family and career.

“Mike Bossy was a name often mentioned in my household growing up as my father idolized him,” Beauvillier wrote on Instagram. “He would tell stories about how good of a goal scorer he is and how he would make it so easy. When I first put the (Islanders) jersey on… it’s the first thing my dad told me ‘Same team as Mike.’ It’s always been an honor for me wearing the same jersey as Mike.”

Bossy helped the Islanders win the Stanley Cup four straight years from 1980-83, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1982. He scored the Cup-winning goal in 1982 and ’83 – one of just two players to do so in back-to-back seasons.

“That’s certainly something I’m proud of,” Bossy said in 1983 after scoring the second Cup-winning goal.

Bossy was a first-round pick in 1977 and played his entire 10-year NHL career with New York. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, got the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly conduct three times and led the league in goals twice.

Bossy scored 50 or more goals in each of his first nine seasons – the league’s longest streak. He and Wayne Gretzky are the only players in hockey history with nine 50-goal seasons.

“The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but the entire hockey world,” Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. ”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.”

Bossy ranks third in points per game and 22nd on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list with 573 goals in just 752 regular-season games – far fewer than any of the players ranked ahead of him.

Back and knee injuries ultimately ended his career in 1987. He was limited to 38 goals in 63 games in 1986-87 and was unable to return for an 11th season.

Bossy revealed his cancer diagnosis in October in a letter to TVA Sports. He wrote in French: “It is with a lot of sadness that I need to step away from your screens, for a necessary pause. I intend to fight with all the determination and fire you’ve seen me show on the ice.”

CANUCKS: Vancouver captain Bo Horvat is expected to be out at least two weeks after taking a shot off his right ankle in a 7-1 home victory over Arizona on Thursday night.

Fighting for a playoff spot, the Canucks said the center will be re-evaluated in two weeks, a timeline that means he may have played his last game of the regular season.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

PANTHERS 6, JETS 1: Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves, Jonathan Huberdeau and Gustav Forsling each scored twice and Florida won its ninth straight game, beating visiting Winnipeg.

Huberdeau, who also picked up an assist, had two goals in the first five minutes. He has 30 goals this season and extended his career-best points streak to 13 games, joining Mike Hoffman (17 in 2018-19) and Pavel Bure (13 in 1999-2000) as the only Panthers to have point streaks of 13 or more games.

ISLANDERS 3, CANADIENS 0: Ilya Sorokin made a career-high 44 saves to tie New York’s franchise record for shutouts in a season with seven, helping the visiting Islanders spoil Carey Price’s season debut.

Price stopped 17 shots, giving up goals to Zach Parise and Noah Dobson in a 1:44 span in the third period. Brock Nelson added an empty-net goal.

Price played for the first time since Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup final in July. He spent months recovering from offseason knee surgery, but paused his rehabilitation after voluntarily entering the NHL’s player assistance program last fall. He has said he entered the program for substance abuse, and in January noted his career could be in jeopardy.

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