Bozon out of hospital, but long road ahead and costs are escalating

TIM BOZON

There is concern in WHL circles that people are going to see Kootenay Ice F Tim Bozon up and about, now that he has been released from Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, and come to the conclusion that all is well and that his family doesn’t need financial aid.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Because Bozon’s situation wasn’t due to a hockey-related injury, Hockey Canada’s insurance doesn’t cover any of it.
When it comes to healthcare, each WHL team will buy insurance for each of its European players. In Bozon’s case, he had a policy that was taken out by the Kamloops Blazers, his original team, and transferred to the Ice when he was traded to Kootenay on Oct. 22.
Unfortunately, that policy expired on March 13, while Bozon was in hospital.
(There is no standardization in the healthcare policies taken out for European players. For example, one team might have a $25,000 policy, while another may go for $100,000. One WHL team official told me Friday that there almost definitely will be standardization of some sort brought in following what has happened with Bozon.)
One source has told me that the WHL and the Ice are pursuing all avenues in attempts to find financial help and/or relief for the Bozon family.
I also was told that Saskatchewan has the highest ICU rates in Canada. Combine that with the cost of rehabilitation and, before all of this is dealt with, the tab is going to be well into six figures.
“There is a big-time cost to this . . . big-time costs,” the source said. “They are escalating and we have a long way to go.”

In a photo from the Saskatoon Blades' Twitter feed,
Dr. Gary Hunter (left), Tim Bozon and Philippe
Bozon address a news conference
in Saskatoon on Friday.

Bozon was admitted to RUH in Saskatoon on March 1. He was diagnosed with Neisseria meningitis, a disease that involves inflammation around the brain and spine that can be fatal. Bozon was placed in a medically induced coma as doctors worked to slow the disease’s advance.
For much of the past four weeks, he was in critical condition in RUH’s intensive care unit. Last week, doctors brought him slowly out of the coma and his condition soon was upgraded to stable. He was well enough to appear at a news conference at the hospital on Friday, just before being discharged.
"I'm doing good, I've been through a lot," Bozon said at the news conference that was streamed by Global News. "It's been about a month and I've improved a lot and I'm feeling better now. As you can tell, my voice is not 100 per cent recovered, but I'm feeling better. I'm excited to leave the hospital.”
Bozon, who turned 20 on Monday, is 6-foot-1 and plays at about 195 pounds. On Friday, he appeared much thinner than that, and he also has a raspy voice, the result of having spent much of the last four weeks on a feeding tube.
“From what I have learned since coming out of the coma, the people here at the Royal University Hospital went to amazing lengths to save my life. To them, first and foremost, my heartfelt thanks. But I must also extend gratitude to everyone who sent me their thoughts and prayers, especially my parents, who rushed here from France to be by my side."
His parents, Helene and Philippe, arrived from their home in France on March 2. Tim’s younger brother, Kevin, flew over from Switzerland last week, once his junior hockey team in Lugano had completed its season.
"I want to say from my wife and I how proud we are of you Timmy, for fighting like this,” Philippe said during the news conference. “I know it was a tough fight and I know you are still fighting, and I will always have faith in you.”
Bozon was in the Ice’s lineup on Feb. 28, scoring his 33rd goal of the season in a 4-2 victory. He apparently doesn’t remember scoring that goal, or much about that game, although he remembers going to a concert by the Goo Goo Dolls on Feb. 27. He began to feel ill following the game and that got progressively worse through the night. Athletic trainer Cory Cameron made the decision that Bozon had something worse than the flu and was going to have to go to hospital, and he got him there around 8:45 a.m.
Philippe, who played in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues (1991-95), credits Cameron with having saved Tim’s life.
"(Cameron) reacted really well when things happened that night, really quick after the game," Philippe said. "It was amazing. In three hours, Tim went from being a healthy man. Cory did the right thing by bringing him to the hospital. He probably saved his life and I'm really thankful for him."
Cameron visited the Bozons in Saskatoon during the few day before the playoffs began and, since returning to the Ice, has been in twice-daily contact with Philippe. They have spoken each morning and again at night.
Dr. Gary Hunter, a neurologist at RUH who treated Tim, told the news conference that getting prompt medical attention was key to the recovery process.
"Any bacterial meningitis is a serious problem, and he certainly was very sick, but he received excellent care," Dr. Hunter said. “Because he's a young, tough kid he was able to pull through. His progress since he left the ICU has been really amazing. So I think his prognosis is really excellent.
“He's really motivated. He's got an amazing family that kept me calm most of the time in the ICU. He's a tough guy and he's really motivated so I think he's going to do really well.”
Dr. Hunter admitted that the medical community hasn’t any idea how Bozon contacted the disease.
"Bacterial meningitis in young people (who) are young and healthy is uncommon, in the first place,” he explained. “This particular bug is even more uncommon. We don't have a good reason for why he contracted it besides bad luck, really.”
As for looking into Bozon’s future, Dr. Hunter said: “It's very difficult to speculate exactly on his long-term neurological prognosis, but his early progress has been so tremendous and he's such a healthy guy that I'm very optimistic about (his playing hockey again)."
Bozon and his parents are scheduled to arrive in Cranbrook, B.C., this morning and are to attend tonight’s playoff game between the Ice and Calgary Hitmen. Kootenay, the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed, leads the No. 3 Hitmen, 3-2 in games, and can end the series tonight. Tim will take part in a ceremonial faceoff.
Later, the Bozons will journey to Montreal where Tim, a third-round selection by the Canadiens in the NHL’s 2012 draft, will meet with that team’s medical staff. He also will have a dental appointment or two, as he needs to get some damage repaired after being injured -- the Ice thought at the time that he had a broken jaw -- during one of his last games. Bozon has signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the Habs.
Eventually, the Bozons will end up at home in France and Tim will settle into the rehabilitation process at a clinic in Capbreton.
The Bozons have been blown away by the way the hockey community has responded to their son’s situation.
"It's been an unbelievable month for us," an emotional Philippe said. "Obviously, there was the tough part, but some nice things have happened to our family. Everyone, from all the people in hockey to the doctors to the people on the sixth floor helping with the physiotherapy, have been unbelievable to us . . . I can't believe how much support we've had from all over the world."
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A trust fund has been established to assist the Bozon family with medical- and rehabilitation-related costs.
You are able to make a donation at any BMO Bank of Montreal branch in Western Canada.
Should you live outside of that area and want to donate, please mail donations to:
Western Hockey League
c/o Tim Bozon
Father David Bauer Arena
2424 University Drive NW
Calgary AB
T2N 3Y9

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Bozon responding "to verbal stimuli"

TIM BOZON

The medical staff at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon has begun working to awaken Kootenay Ice F Tim Bozon from a medically induced coma.
Bozon has been in the hospital since March 1 when he was diagnosed with Neisseria Menningitis. He has been in ICU and in a medically induced coma since March 1, not March 6 as has been reported by some outlets, as doctors worked to slow the advance of the meningitis.
According to a news release issued Thursday by the Saskatoon Health Region:
“(Bozon) remains in ICU. However, doctors have indicated his condition remains critical but stable and improving. . . . His family has indicated that Tim has responded to verbal stimuli.”
The news release continued:
“Tim’s parents, Philippe and Helene, have been overwhelmed by the email and social media messages from people around the world showing support for their son. The family is very appreciative and will respond sometime in the near future. The family also wants to express thanks to the doctors and staff at Royal University Hospital for the care Tim has received.”
Meanwhile, the WHL is in the process of establishing a trust fund to assist the Bozon family “with medical and rehabilitation costs as insurance coverage is limited.” The WHL says that more information on the fund will be released in the near future.
Tim Bozon was in his third WHL season when he took ill. From Lugano, Switzerland, he began his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers. Last season, as one-third of perhaps the WHL’s top forward line, alongside Colin Smith and JC Lipon, Bozon had 91 points, including 36 goals, in 69 games.
Early this season, with the Blazers in an obvious rebuilding mode, Bozon asked for a trade and was moved to the Ice. He had 62 points, 30 of them goals, in 50 games. He has scored at least 30 goals in each of this three seasons.
He was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round, 64th overall, of the NHL’s 2012 draft and later signed a three-year entry-level contract.
Bozon is to turn 20 on March 24.
(NOTE: This has been updated to clarify that Tim Bozon actually has been in a medically induced coma since March 1, the day he was admitted to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.)

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Geneva players to honour Tim Bozon with logo

On Monday afternoon, Aurelian ‘Jimmy’ Omer (@jimmyomer) tweeted: “During the playoffs @officialGSHC players will wear a logo on their helmets to support @timbozon94”
Omer is the equipment manager for Genève-Servette HC, which plays in the Swiss National League A.
That logo is pictured above.
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TIM BOZON

F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice remains in Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, where doctors continue to treat him for Neisseria meningitis.
Bozon was admitted to RUH on March 1 and played in a medically induced coma on Thursday.
His father, Philippe, a former NHL and French national team player, told Kamloops This Week on Monday that doctors “have been doing exams today and, normally, we get a meeting every morning. One minute it’s like this and one minute it changes. Right now, we cannot say anything.”
Philippe told the thrice-weekly newspaper that when there is new information the family will provide a statement.
Tim, 19, began his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers. He was traded to the Ice earlier this season. He has signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens, who selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2012 draft.
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The WHL begins its final week of play with seven games tonight. Perhaps surprisingly, there are 11 teams still with four games left to play, meaning they will finish up by playing four games in six nights or four in five. Here’s a look at what teams are playing for between now and Sunday, with teams listed in order of winning percentage:

1. Kelowna Rockets, .824 -- With 112 points, the Rockets need one point to clinch first place overall. They visit the Blazers in Kamloops on Wednesday. The Rockets appear headed for a first-round matchup with G Eric Comrie and the Tri-City Americans. . . . Rockets G Jordon Cooke goes into the last four games with 38 victories, three fewer than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry, who leads the WHL.

2. Portland Winterhawks, .772 -- The Winterhawks would need to win their last four games and have Kelowna lose its last four in order to finish first overall. That isn’t going to happen. Therefore, the Winterhawks will be trying to get their two veteran goaltenders back on track. Brendan Burke has been out with mononucleosis and hasn’t played since Feb. 10. Corbin Boes was shaken up in a goalmouth collision on Friday and didn’t play Saturday. . . . F Nic Petan leads the WHL in assists (74) and is five points off the scoring lead. But he has only two points, both assists, in his last five games. . . . A first-round series with the Vancouver Giants awaits.

3. Victoria Royals, .721 -- The Royals, who spent part of Monday loading up on food in downtown Merritt, B.C., have flown under the radar for much of this season but are the best defensive team in the league, having allowed 168 goals, one fewer than the Edmonton Oil Kings and two fewer than Kelowna. This is a team that has made the commitment to defence and it shows. . . . Victoria will finish third in the Western Conference, so the Royals will want to keep everyone healthy as they prepare to meet the Spokane Chiefs or Everett Silvertips in the first round.

4. Edmonton Oil Kings, .713 -- The Oil Kings are tied with the Calgary Hitmen atop the Eastern Conference, each with 97 points. Edmonton has four games remaining: against visiting Kootenay tonight and in Medicine Hat on Wednesday, then a Saturday-Sunday home-and-home with the Red Deer Rebels that begins in Red Deer. . . . The first tiebreaker is victories and Edmonton leads Calgary by two, 47-45. . . . First place in the conference means a first-round date with the eighth-place team -- Prince Albert, Red Deer or Brandon, teams that will end up about 30 points off the pace. Third place in the conference likely means Swift Current in the first round, although Kootenay still is a possibility.

5. Calgary Hitmen, .703 -- The Hitmen, who are 7-2-1 in their last 10 (Edmonton is 5-4-1), have three games remaining if they are to catch the Oil Kings. Calgary is at home to Lethbridge tonight, in Cranbrook against Kootenay on Friday and at home to the Ice on Saturday.

6. Medicine Hat Tigers, .638 -- Hands up if you saw the Tigers finishing with as many as 45 victories after F Hunter Shinkaruk, a potential 50-goal, 100-point man, had his season ended by hip surgery. . . . The Tigers, who finish up with two games against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, are headed to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. They will get Kootenay or Swift Current in the first round.

7. Seattle Thunderbirds, .632 -- The Thunderbirds have 40 victories for the first time since 2007-08, when they won 42. . . . Last season, in going 24-38-10, Seattle allowed 286 goals. With four games remaining, that number is 230. . . . Shea Theodore leads all WHL defencemen in assists (55) and points (75). . . . Seattle is fourth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Spokane and five up on Everett. The Thunderbirds are at home to Spokane tonight and then finish with three in three -- at home to Portland on Friday, in Portland and in Kennewick, Wash., against the Tri-City Americans.

8. Kootenay Ice, .603 -- The Ice is in the playoffs for a 16th consecutive season and needs to win one more game for its ninth 40-victory season its 16 winters in Cranbrook. . . . In fifth place with four games to play, three of them on the road, the Ice is six points behind Medicine Hat and three ahead of Swift Current. Kootenay, which is 21-9-1 since the Christmas break, finishes with four games in five nights, playing in Edmonton tonight, in Red Deer on Wednesday, at home to Calgary on Friday and in Calgary on Saturday. . . . With teammate Tim Bozon in a Saskatoon hospital, you can bet these are emotional times in the Kootenay dressing room. . . . D Tanner Faith won’t play again this season, while D Landon Cross and D Landon Peel are out for up to two weeks. The Ice needs the latter two back if it hopes to make a run. . . . A playoff opponent will have to deal with the high-flying line of Sam Reinhart (97 points in 56 games), Jaedon Descheneau (94 in 66) and Zach Franko (21 in 24 since coming over from Kelowna).

9. Spokane Chiefs, .603 -- The Chiefs, who are fifth in the Western Conference, have won their last two games as they try to ward of the oncoming Everett Silvertips. . . . F Mitch Holmberg, who played in all 68 of the Chiefs’ games, leads the WHL in goals (60) and points (113). The last Spokane skater to lead the WHL in goals was F Tyler Johnson (53, 2010-11); the last to lead in points was F Ray Whitney (185, 1990-91). . . . D Reid Gow is second among defencemen with 54 assists, one behind Seattle’s Shea Theodore. . . . The Chiefs visit the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight, then are at home to Everett on Wednesday, at home to Tri-City on Friday and at the Americans on Saturday.

10. Everett Silvertips, .596 -- No one is hotter than the Silvertips right now. They’ve won eight straight and have points in nine in a row (8-0-1). . . . That allowed them to distance themselves from the eighth-place Vancouver Giants in the Western Conference and close to within a point of Spokane. . . . The Silvertips will finish with four games in five nights, with three of those on the road. They are in Spokane on Wednesday, in Victoria on Friday, at home to Victoria on Saturday and in Portland on Sunday.

11. Regina Pats, .594 -- The Pats got their game together in 2014 and that allowed them to take control of the East Division race. They lead the division by three points over the Swift Current Broncos, with each team having three games to play. First place in the division means the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round meeting with Prince Albert, Red Deer or Brandon. . . . G Daniel Wapple is fighting an ankle sprain, leaving Dawson MacAuley to carry the mail, at least in the short term.

12. Swift Current Broncos, .572 -- The Broncos are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games after encountering a late-season slump just prior to that. With three games remaining, they are sixth in the Eastern Conference but still could finish first in the East Division, which would give them the No. 2 seed. They are three points behind Kootenay in the conference and three points behind Regina in the division. . . . The Broncos have a favourable last three games as they finish with two non-playoff teams. They are at home to Saskatoon on Wednesday and then go home-and-home with Moose Jaw on Friday and Saturday, opening in Swift Current. . . . D Julius Honka is second among freshmen in assists (39) and points (55). He leads all freshmen defencemen in goals (16), assists and points.

13. Vancouver Giants, .529 -- After going 1-3 in their first four games this season, the Giants ventured into the East Division where they went 0-4-2. Today, with three games remaining, they are 31-27-11 and anchored in seventh place in the Western Conference. They lead the WHL in loser points (11). . . . G Jared Rathjen, who has had a pretty good season (13-8-5, 2.98, .898), has appeared once since Feb. 21. . . . D Dalton Thrower (ankle), their best player and their captain, hasn’t played since Jan. 24. . . . As the No. 7 seed, they will meet Portland in the opening round of playoffs.

14. Prince Albert Raiders, 522 -- It wasn’t that long ago when the Raiders were losing faster than someone sitting in front of a slot machine. Of late, though, they have won four in a row and are 7-2-1 in their last 10. That has lifted them into a tie for seventh in the Eastern Conference, alongside Red Deer and Brandon. The Raiders, with four games left, have a game in hand on each of those teams. The Raiders will finish with four in five nights: in Moose Jaw tonight, in Regina on Wednesday, at home to Saskatoon on Friday and in Saskatoon on Saturday. . . . D Josh Morrissey leads all defencemen in goals (26), five more than Brandon’s Ryan Pulock. . . . F Leon Draisaitl, the German sophomore, has 97 points, including 62 assists, in 60 games. Since Feb. 1, he has 12 multi-point outings in 17 games. In the Raiders’ four-game winning streak, he has 11 points, including six goals. Yes, he will be a top five selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft.

15. Red Deer Rebels, .514 -- The Rebels have been treading water of late, witness 5-4-1 in their last 10. With three games left, they are tied for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, with Prince Albert and Brandon. . . . The Rebels are at home to Kootenay on Wednesday, then go home-and-home with Edmonton, playing at home Saturday and on the road Sunday.

16. Brandon Wheat Kings, .514 -- The Wheat Kings will finish without F Jayce Hawryluk, their leading scorer, who has three games left in a season-ending four-game WHL suspension. . . . F Peter Quenneville, who has 45 points in 42 games since joining the team from Quinnipiac U, hasn’t played since Feb. 17. . . . Brandon finishes at home to Saskatoon tonight, in Regina on Friday and at home to the Pats on Saturday.

17. Tri-City Americans, .471 -- The Americans need one point to wrap up the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. The prize? A first-round series with the Kelowna Rockets, who will finish atop the overall standings. . . . The Americans (28-32-8) are in a reloading mode. They last finished below .500 in 2005-06 when they went 30-35-7. They then won at least 40 games in each of the next seven seasons. . . . F Phil Tot hasn’t played since Feb. 1. He has 36 points, 15 of them goals, in 49 games, so getting him back would really help. . . . The Americans are in Portland tonight, go home-and-home with Spokane on Friday and Saturday, and finish up against visiting Seattle on Sunday.

18. Prince George Cougars, .429 -- With Tri-City having lost three in a row and having gone 1-7-2 in its last 10, the Western Conference’s last playoff spot was there for the taking. The Cougars, however, have lost five in a row and are just 2-7-1 in their last 10, so remain four points back. . . . They were swept at home by Spokane last weekend and that may have been the final nail. . . . The Cougars have only two games left -- they are in Kamloops on Friday and play host to the Blazers on Saturday. . . . Should Tri-City lose each of its last four games and Prince George sweep the Blazers, the Americans and Cougars would be tied after 72 games. Because they would be tied for the last playoff spot, it would necessitate a tiebreaker game.

19. Moose Jaw Warriors, .355 -- The Warriors (20-40-9) have won three in a row, but that only ensured a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference. This will be two straight seasons without a playoff appearance.

20. Saskatoon Blades, .272 -- A year ago, the Blades were preparing for the playoffs knowing that they would appear in the Memorial Cup, as the host team. Today, the Blades, who won at least 40 games in each of the last five seasons, are 16-47-5, have lost eight straight and last season is but a distant memory. . . . F Nikita Scherback leads all first-year players in assists (47) and points (74) and is tied with Brandon F Rihards Bukarts in goals (27).

21. Kamloops Blazers, .225 -- A year ago, the Blazers made a run to the Western Conference final, where they lost in five games to the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Today, the Blazers are 13-51-5 and have set a Kamloops franchise futility record for victories. The franchise record for most losses in a season (53) is also right there, as is the mark for fewest points (35). . . . The fact that the Blazers, who have lost seven in a row, have three players out with broken jaws may sum up their season better than anything else. Three other players -- F Chase Souto, G Justin Myles and D Austin Douglas -- aren’t likely to play again this season, either. Myles, who came over from Seattle at the trade deadline, has yet to play for the Blazers.

22. Lethbridge Hurricanes, .210 -- The Hurricanes will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season. The history of this franchise can be traced to the Winnipeg Jets in 1967-68. It goes through the Winnipeg Clubs, Winnipeg Monarchs and Calgary Wranglers. When this season is over, this edition of the Hurricanes will own the single-season franchise records for fewest victories, most losses and fewest points. . . . The Hurricanes (13-51-5) are two points behind Kamloops in the turtle derby. Each team has three games remaining.
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F Nolan Patrick has joined the Brandon Wheat Kings for the remainder of this season. Patrick, from Winnipeg, was the fourth overall selection in the 2013 WHL bantam draft. . . . The son of former Wheat Kings F Steve Patrick, Nolan had 63 points, including 33 goals, in 39 regular-season games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. . . . Patrick is expected to make his WHL debut against the visiting Saskatoon Blades tonight.
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D Evan Fiala, the 14th overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, will be with the Spokane Chiefs for the remainder of this season. He is expected to play tonight against the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Fiala, from Clavet, Sask., spent this season with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. He had 16 points, including four goals, in 44 games.
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The Saskatoon Blades have added D Turner Ottenbreit, 16, to their roster for the remainder of the season. He played nine games with the Blades earlier in the season, then joined the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest. He had 27 points, nine of them goals, in 42 games with the Harvest. He was the last of Saskatoon’s four 12th-round selections in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Saskatoon D Ayrton Nikkel, 18, won’t play again this season. He suffered an undisclosed injury in a 6-1 loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday.
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Kevin Waugh of CTV-Saskatoon tweeted on Monday evening that Saskatoon Blades assistant coach Curtis Leschyshyn “will join coaching staff of Saskatoon Blazers Midget AAA next season. Joins son Jake.” . . . With the Blades, Leschyshyn works alongside head coach Dave Struch and Jerome Engele, and goaltending coach Tim Cheveldae.
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The Portland Winterhawks will have a couple of neat guests when they open the playoffs at home on March 21 and 22. The Winterhawks have been helping out with the celebration of 100 Years of Hockey in Oregon and as part of that party are bringing the Stanley Cup and the Lester Patrick Cup to Portland. . . . The Portland Rosebuds won the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in 1916 and were awarded the Stanley Cup. . . . The Lester Patrick Cup, which went to the champions of the professional Western Hockey League, was won by the Portland Buckaroos in 1961, ’65 and ’71. . . . According to a news release from the Winterhawks: The two trophies “will be on display at the Oregon Historical Society on Thursday, March 20, from 7:30 – 9 p.m., and then again on Friday, March 21 from 12 – 4 p.m. Fans may also see the trophies on the Moda Center concourse before and during Game 1 of the playoffs on the 21st, and then post-game on the 21st in Dr. Jack’s, the new restaurant on the Rose Quarter campus.”  . . . The Winterhawks will meet the Vancouver Giants in the first round.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Red Deer (8)
Regina (2) vs. Prince Albert (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
(NOTE: Prince Albert, Red Deer and Brandon are tied for eighth, each with 71 points. Prince Albert has four games remaining; the other two have three games left. Remember that a tie for a conference‘s final playoff spot will result in a tiebreaker game.)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Everett (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Saskatoon at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Spokane at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.


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Bozon part of France's 'Miracle on Ice'

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
A miracle on ice?
France, including left-winger Tim Bozon of the Kamloops Blazers, defeated Russia 2-1 at the IIHF World hockey championship in Helsinki on Thursday.
“This was France’s equivalent of the 1980 Miracle on Ice where U.S. college players defeated the heavily favoured Soviets at the Lake Placid Olympics,” Lucas Aykroyd of IIHF.com wrote in his game story. He also referred to it as “one of the biggest upsets in international hockey history.”
Russia had won 13 straight World championship games; France had lost all five previous meetings with Russia, going back to 1992, the last one a 7-2 setback in Switzerland in 2009. Prior to 1992, France always was in a lower division, thus the teams never met.
“It’s fantastic to beat the defending champions and the best players in the world,” French coach Dave Henderson, a Winnipeg native, said. “It’s so big for French hockey it’s hard to describe.”
The Russians held a 29-19 edge in shots, with third-string goaltenders Vasili Koshechkin of Russia and Florian Hardy of France playing. The highlight of Hardy’s game may have been a glove save on forward Alexander Radulov on a second-period penalty shot with the game scoreless.
Just 15 seconds later, Alexander Perezhogin gave the Russians a 1-0 lead.
Damien Fleury tied it at 9:52, beating Koshechkin with a slapshot, and Antoine Roussel, who plays for the Dallas Stars and is the lone NHLer on France’s roster, got what turned out to be the winner at 16:48, putting a backhander through the goaltender’s legs.
“I’m (Hardy’s) roommate,” Bozon told Aykroyd, “and we talked about the game a little, and he was a little nervous.
“I think (the Russians) underestimated us a little, but that’s their problem. We never gave up, and I think we played a good game.”
Bozon, 19, has one assist in four games, averaging 8:43 minutes of playing time.
He is the third generation from his family to play for France’s national team, following his paternal grandfather, Alain, and his father, Philippe.
Philippe, the first French-trained player to reach the NHL, also is at the tournament, working for French broadcaster Sport+. As a national teamer, Philippe, now 46, played in four Olympics and nine World championships. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008.
Tim told The Daily News after the game that he played about 8:30 against Russia.
As for the overall experience of playing in the World championship, he said: “It’s different because the ice is bigger. But the big difference is the players are really strong and they are big.”
Against Russia, he said, the French “played really well . . . good discipline.”
Russia (3-1) is to play Finland (3-1) today, while France (2-2) plays Saturday against the U.S. (3-1).
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There’s more on the Bozons and their World championship experiences right here.


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Bozon hoping to follow in father's footsteps to NHL

Tim Bozon, with the HC Lugano juniors.
(Photo courtesy Tim Bozon)

 By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

Tim Bozon knows where he wants to play hockey in 2011-12.
“Kamloops,” Bozon told The Daily News during a texting exchange on Tuesday.
Bozon, the Kamloops Blazers’ lone selection in last month’s CHL import draft, is an interesting study.
The 17-year-old son of former NHL forward Philippe Bozon, Tim — “My name is Timothé, but everybody calls me Tim,” he wrote — was born in St. Louis while his father was playing for the Blues. The family now lives in Lugano, Switzerland, but Tim has played internationally for France, despite never having played minor hockey in that country.
“It’s just because all my family are French, and my grandfather and my father played for France’s national team,” Bozon explained. “It’s why I play, too.”
The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Bozon, who is fluent in English, Italian, French and German, played his minor hockey in Switzerland, the location dependent upon where his father was playing or coaching.
“I lived one year in Kloten and I learned German, and three years in Lugano and I learned Italian,” he noted. “I learned English at school.”
Naturally, Philippe has been rather important in the shaping of his son’s career.
“He has a lot of experience and is a good example for me and I try to learn from him,” Tim said. “He coached me when we were in Geneva.”
Not that it was always fun . . .
“It was not so easy for us,” the son stated. “He was hard with me but, finally, I learned a lot and I will always learn with him.”
Right now, the family is vacationing in France. That includes mother Hélène and the other two children — Allison, 19, and Kevin, 16.
Philippe was the first French-trained player to reach the NHL. An international legend, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008. Right now, he is between coaching jobs, having been fired by HC Lugano on Nov. 29. Former NHL assistant coach Barry Smith now is Lugano’s head coach; the roster includes ex-Blazers forward Hnat Domenichelli.
Tim said he was “really excited” to be selected by the Blazers and added that he has chatted with Domenichelli, who has played in Switzerland for eight seasons, the last three in Lugano.
“He said to me that it’s a very good team . . . so I’m very happy to play in the WHL,” Bozon continued. “It’s one of my dreams to play in this league. It’s a very good level and you get more chance to play one day in the NHL.
“It’s going to be a great experience.”
Asked to look in a mirror and describe his game, Bozon replied: “I like to have the puck to control the game. I have a good vision of the game. I like to play physical and I have good skills. I can score goals.”
Last season, he had 29 points, 16 of them goals, in 27 games with Lugano’s U20 team.
In December, France’s U20 team will play in the Division I Group B tournament in Tychy, Poland, but Bozon said that isn’t his first concern.
“No, not really,” he stated. “I told the coach and we agreed that if I go play in Canada he let’s me be free. But if he asks me to play in the World championship, I will say ‘yes,’ of course.
“But I just want to focus on Kamloops. That is most important for me right now.”
At 17, it’s more likely he would be invited to play for France at the IIHF Division I Group A U18 championship in Piestany, Slovakia, Dec. 11-17. That tournament also will include Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy and Japan.
Bozon already has played with France’s U18 side on two occasions, most recently at the Division I Group B tournament in Maribor, Slovenia, in April.
“We finished third and it was the first time that France’s U18 team has brought back a medal,” he noted. Bozon had six points, three of them goals, in five games.
Bozon is the second Swiss player selected by the Blazers in the import draft. The first, forward Janick Steinmann, played one season (2005-06) here, picking up 18 points in 55 games. He played this season for Davos in the Swiss-A league.
The Portland Winterhawks, however, have had great success with Swiss forwards Nino Niederreiter and Sven Bartschi, both of whom have signed NHL contracts after being first-round draft picks. Niederreiter has played two seasons in Portland, while Bartschi was the Western Conference’s rookie of the year in 2010-11.
Bozon knows both players. He also knows “very well” sophomore defenceman Dave Sutter of the Seattle Thunderbirds, having played two years with him in Geneva.
Bozon also is “very good friends” with forward Alessio Bertaggia, who was selected by the Brandon Wheat Kings in last month’s import draft.
Bertaggia’s father, Sandro, was an assistant coach with the Lugano team that fired Bozon’s father.

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