John Van Boxmeer

John Martin Van Boxmeer (born November 20, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He also worked extensively as a hockey coach and scout after his playing career ended in 1984.

Biography

John Van Boxmeer was considered a top prospect and was drafted as the 14th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 1972. He was so highly regarded that he began his professional career by travelling to Moscow for the 1972 Summit Series at the request of tournament organizer Alan Eagleson, although he did not play in the famous series. He played 46 games for the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens in 1975–76, but his name was left off the cup as he did not appear in the playoffs. Ultimately, Van Boxmeer had a tough time making a Montreal lineup that was very deep in talent, and rather than spend the majority of his time in the minor leagues, he requested a trade. He was dealt to the Colorado Rockies in 1976 in exchange for a third-round pick in the 1979 NHL Draft, which the Canadiens used to draft Craig Levie.

In Colorado, Van Boxmeer finally received the opportunity to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. He played all 80 games in the 1977–78 season, the only time the Rockies qualified for the playoffs in their history. When former Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman moved to the Buffalo Sabres, he acquired Van Boxmeer to bolster the Sabres' blueline, recalling how he had reluctantly traded the defenceman in 1976. To do so, he broke up the Sabres' famed "French Connection" line, sending René Robert to Colorado. Van Boxmeer responded with a plus-40 season and helped the Sabres climb to first place in their division, and the defenseman's best statistical seasons as a pro were in Buffalo.

With the emergence of Phil Housley on the Buffalo blueline, Van Boxmeer became expendable, and he was claimed by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1983 NHL Waiver Draft. He spent the majority of his time during the 1983–84 season in the American Hockey League, and played his final game with the Rochester Americans in 1984 before retiring.

Since retiring, he has served as the head coach of the Rochester Americans and the Long Beach Ice Dogs, and has also been an assistant coach at the NHL level with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings. He won the Calder Cup as the head coach of Rochester in the 1986–87 season. He served as head coach of SC Bern of Switzerland's Nationalliga A until March 2009.

Van Boxmeer 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.

Van Boxmeer's son, Hank, was a defenceman who played for the State University of New York at Oswego Lakers. His daughter, Ashley, played college softball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans and for Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1971–72 Guelph CMC's SOJHL 56 30 42 72 160 — — — — — 1972–73 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 76 5 29 34 139 13 1 6 7 26 1973–74 Montreal Canadiens NHL 20 1 4 5 18 1 0 0 0 0 1973–74 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 47 8 20 28 78 — — — — — 1974–75 Montreal Canadiens NHL 9 0 2 2 0 — — — — — 1974–75 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 43 4 15 19 68 6 1 3 4 9 1975–76 Montreal Canadiens NHL 46 6 11 17 31 — — — — — 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens NHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 1976–77 Colorado Rockies NHL 41 2 11 13 32 — — — — — 1977–78 Colorado Rockies NHL 80 12 42 54 87 2 0 1 1 2 1978–79 Colorado Rockies NHL 76 9 34 43 46 — — — — — 1979–80 Buffalo Sabres NHL 80 11 40 51 55 14 3 5 8 12 1980–81 Buffalo Sabres NHL 80 18 51 69 69 8 1 8 9 7 1981–82 Buffalo Sabres NHL 69 14 54 68 62 4 0 1 1 6 1982–83 Buffalo Sabres NHL 65 6 21 27 53 9 1 0 1 10 1983–84 Quebec Nordiques NHL 18 5 3 8 12 — — — — — 1983–84 Fredericton Express AHL 45 10 34 44 48 7 2 5 7 8 1984–85 Rochester Americans AHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — — NHL totals 588 84 274 358 465 38 5 15 20 37

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1982 Canada WC 8 2 0 2 8