John Van Boxmeer

Lore & Background

John Van Boxmeer was a highly touted prospect who got his start in professional hockey by traveling to Moscow for the 1972 Summit Series at Alan Eagleson’s invitation, though he never suited up for a game in that series. He appeared in 46 regular-season games for the Montreal Canadiens during their 1975–76 Stanley Cup-winning season, but because he didn’t play in the playoffs, his name wasn’t engraved on the Cup. Finding it difficult to crack a deep Montreal roster, he asked for a trade rather than spend most of his time in the minors. In 1976, the Canadiens sent him to the Colorado Rockies for a third-round pick in the 1979 draft, which they used to select Craig Levie.

With the Rockies, Van Boxmeer finally got the chance to play full-time in the NHL. He suited up for all 80 games in the 1977–78 season, the only year Colorado ever qualified for the playoffs.

When former Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman took over the Buffalo Sabres, he remembered reluctantly trading Van Boxmeer and brought him in to strengthen the defense. To make the deal, Bowman broke up Buffalo’s famous “French Connection” line by sending René Robert to Colorado. Van Boxmeer responded with a plus-40 season, helped the Sabres finish first in their division, and posted his best offensive numbers as a pro in Buffalo.

After young defenseman Phil Housley emerged, Van Boxmeer became surplus. The Quebec Nordiques claimed him in the 1983 NHL Waiver Draft. He spent most of the 1983–84 season in the American Hockey League, playing his final game with the Rochester Americans before retiring in 1984.

Reader's Guide

John Van Boxmeer's significance lies in his journey from a highly touted prospect who struggled to crack a deep Montreal Canadiens lineup to a reliable NHL defenceman who played a key role for the Colorado Rockies and Buffalo Sabres. His trade from Montreal to Colorado allowed him to become a full-time NHL player, and he played all 80 games in the 1977–78 season, the only time the Rockies qualified for the playoffs. His acquisition by Scotty Bowman in Buffalo, which involved breaking up the famous 'French Connection' line, led to a plus-40 season and a division title for the Sabres. After his playing career ended in 1984, Van Boxmeer transitioned into coaching and scouting, winning the Calder Cup as head coach of the Rochester Americans in 1986–87.

He later served as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings, and as head coach of SC Bern in Switzerland until March 2009. He suffered a heart attack in August 2008 but recovered quickly and returned behind the SC Bern bench. He was a scout for the Buffalo Sabres until 2020. His legacy includes his son Hank, a defenceman who played for the State University of New York at Oswego Lakers, and his daughter Ashley, who played college softball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans and for Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.