RALEIGH, N.C. – Jacques Lemaire brought Larry Robinson with him to New Jersey, so doesn’t it make a world of sense for Bryan Trottier to bring Mike Bossy with him to Broadway?
“I haven’t spoken to Bryan since he was hired by the Rangers because I don’t want to put any pressure on him, but if Bryan wants me, and it’s for the right reasons and the right kind of work, I’d be very interested,” Bossy told The Post yesterday. “What I mean by that is, I don’t want to be there just because people make the assumption that because of our relationship, I should be with Bryan; I don’t want to impose that kind of pressure on anyone in New York.
“We’ve had about 10 conversations in the last 10 years about us doing things together if and when he became a head coach, so it’s not as if we haven’t thought about the possibility. If he wants me there on an associate level, or a consulting level, or whatever the position, I know I have qualities to bring to the organization.”
Bossy, who registered 573 goals in a 752-game career shortened by back problems and is widely regarded as the greatest pure scorer in NHL history, hasn’t had a job in hockey since retiring from the Islanders in 1986.
“I called the Canadiens three years ago to offer my services but they weren’t interested,” Bossy said by phone from his home in Montreal. “I haven’t filled out an application since I retired. I don’t like to force myself upon people. I haven’t received any offers, either; I think everyone is afraid of me.”
Trottier is going to need a confidante on his staff. There is no one in hockey he has ever been closer to than Bossy, with whom he skated for a decade, with whom he won four Cups on the Island. Together they formed what may well be the greatest center-wing combination that ever played.
“I think Bryan is going to do a wonderful job as long as he gets support. It really annoys me to hear so many people suggesting that he’s going to fail. And as far as those people suggesting that he got the job because he’s going to be [GM Glen] Sather’s puppet, they should call Al Arbour and ask if he thinks Trots was a puppet as a player,” Bossy said. “He’s going to have a unique approach to this, he’s going to be very creative.
“The key for the Rangers is going to be for the players to be mature enough to be aware that they can only have success as individuals if they have success as a team. And there can’t be any success if everyone is not committed to the same program. You can have as many great players as you want, but if everyone isn’t on the same page, forget it. That was the backbone of our success with Al. We were allowed to be creative, but we all played by the same rules, and we were all responsible to the same system.”