Interview with Mike Bossy

By Eric Rumble
Motion
When Mike Bossy retired from hockey after the 1986-87 season, his 10-year NHL career was already steeped in legend. Nine consecutive seasons with 50 or more goals. 1,126 total points in 752 games. An exhilarating 50 goals in 50 games during the 1980-81 season. Three Lady Byng trophies recognizing him as the league's most sportsmanlike player. He scored the series-winner in two of his four consecutive Stanley Cup championships with the New York Islanders, and sniped a sudden-death marker to eliminate the Soviet team during the 1984 Canada Cup. In 1997, The Hockey News voted him 20th in their benchmark ranking of the top 50 pro players of all time.

The legend continues, and Bossy is still wowing his fans whenever he steps onto the ice in his role as a Chevrolet Safe & Fun Hockey ambassador. It's been almost 15 years since he's had to prove his competitive worth, but every now and then, while the kids are busy putting his instructions to work, he'll trap the puck from one of his pint-sized ice mates and brandish a little brilliance with a nifty shot or pass to an empty corner.

Motion caught up with Bossy at the Chevrolet Safe & Fun Festival in St. Albert, Alberta, and asked him about his most recent on-ice accomplishments.

What are you teaching at Chevrolet Safe & Fun?
I try and let kids know how important it is to do things properly. When you're an adult and you realize that you could be doing something better, the first thing you do is try and remember when you first learned about it. And often it's because you didn't learn it properly when you were young. If you're learning how to stop and turn and handle the puck and shoot, then the only way you're going to have fun is by doing it the right way.

How do you get this message across?
I like to tell parents and coaches to turn it down a notch. No one, no matter how good a coach or parent they are, can tell if these kids are going to make it to the professional level in any sport. So let them enjoy it, let them learn, and teach them the skills to become good people. All the better if they develop skills in their sport, but good people skills will get them somewhere in life no matter what they do.

What do you want the kids to get out of the program?
It's pretty hard to stress anything with kids this age, because they just want to go and have a good time, which is what they're supposed to do. I think that parents and coaches screw it up when they put too much pressure on the kids. I hear a lot of stories about kids who burn out when they're 13 or 14 and they realize that they're just not going to be professional athletes. And then they give up their sport. With hockey, or golf, or whatever, the game isn't just for people who are going to play it professionally. It's for everybody.

What do the kids ask you on the ice?
All these kids are asking me what it was like to play in the NHL. And it was great. It was great being a professional athlete, great being able to achieve the things I did, and great to have an impact like I did. It's great to have people listen to what I say, because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the things that I believe in, like how important it is to get enjoyment from just playing the game.

What do you get out of Chevrolet Safe & Fun?
I enjoy telling the kids and parents to cool down, to relax, to enjoy what they're doing. A lot of times you'll see parents right down at ice level, and they're just stressed right out. I tell them to go sit in the stands and read a newspaper or something. Take advantage of the hour that you don't have to participate in the activity and just enjoy watching. There's nothing you can do in the stands or along the sides of the boards that's going to help your kid when he's out there. Seeing mom or dad stressing out is only going to take his concentration away from what he's trying to do on the ice. Why is Chevrolet Safe & Fun vital? It's hard for me to say because I'm not involved in anything outside the GM project. But in a lot of cities that we go to, parents appreciate the approach we take. The kids have a good time, and everyone always tells us that it's good to see someone coming out with a program like this one.

What sort of difficulties does the program face?
Our main concern is that it stops here, that everyone forgets what we tried to do for a weekend. The biggest challenge is to get everyone thinking about "Respect" and "Responsibility" and "Fun." Hopefully there will be enough people thinking the same way we do, and they'll continue doing what we've tried to.

Who was your first hockey mentor?
It was probably my dad. I basically learned how to play in the backyard with my brothers, or from going down to the park and playing there.

Do you remember the first time you ever played hockey?
The earliest recollection is just going out and playing in the backyard. My dad used to flood it every winter, and I used to go shoot pucks and skate around and have a great time.