Philippe Bozon


Philippe Bozon is a former French professional ice hockey player who played for the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League between the 1991–92 and 1994-95 seasons. He is the first of only seven French-born and trained players to appear in the NHL, the other six being Cristobal Huet, Stéphane Da Costa, Antoine Roussel, Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, Yohann Auvitu, and Alexandre Texier. He is currently the head coach for Boxers de Bordeaux of the Ligue Magnus.

Playing career

Bozon began his career playing for the St. Jean Beavers in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League followed by four years competing in his native France. Playing for the Grenoble Brûleurs de Loups, he won the French championship in 1991. He was then recruited by the St. Louis Blues and was used as a defensive-minded forward and occasionally on the scoring line with Brett Hull. After his time with the Blues, Bozon played professionally in Germany and Switzerland. In Germany, his Adler Mannheim team won the league championship in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

International play

In addition to his professional career, Bozon appeared internationally for France, for which he competed in four Olympic Games.

Post-playing career

He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008. On July 14, 2009, Bozon was named the head coach of the French national junior ice hockey team.

Family

Bozon is married to Hélène Barbier, who was an alpine skier. They have three children, sons Tim and Kevin, and daughter Allison. Both Tim and Kevin play professional hockey; Tim is with Genève-Servette HC of the National League and was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, while Kevin is currently with EHC Winterthur of the Swiss League. Bozon's father, Alain Bozon, was also a hockey player, and was elected into the French Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International