Félicien Du Bois has transitioned from a celebrated player to a coaching role with HC Davos after concluding his professional hockey career in 2021. The 42-year-ancient, a champion with HCD in 2015, currently serves as an assistant coach for the club’s U21 team. Du Bois recently reflected on the highlights of his career with RTSsport.ch, offering a glimpse into his journey through the sport.
Du Bois’s childhood revolved around the Patinoire du Bugnon in Ponts-de-Martel, where countless hours on the ice, often alongside his brother Valentin – a former defenseman for HC La Chaux-de-Fonds in the LNB – shaped his abilities. His first experiences with high-level hockey came as a spectator at the 1990 World Championship in Bern and admiring Slava Bykov and Andrei Khomutov in Fribourg, igniting a passion that would define his life. “As a kid, I didn’t realize I could make a living doing this one day,” he admitted.
The former defenseman, who also harbors a keen interest in the organization of civil aviation, faced challenges throughout his career. In 2003, early in his time with Ambri, Du Bois experienced the loss of his sister to illness and suffered a serious car accident.
“These experiences helped me grow and shaped my character. They taught me to put things in perspective during difficult times,” explained Du Bois, who previously worked as a multilingual consultant for RTSsport and SRF.
Fortunately, I have no lasting effects on my hand.
RTSsport.ch: Your playing career ended on a somewhat disappointing note…
FELICIEN DU BOIS: Yes, but I didn’t suffer too much from it. In July 2020, I tore my Achilles tendon on the eve of what I knew would be my last season. After surgery, my rehabilitation went particularly well, and I was motivated. I trained like crazy to get back on the ice before the playoffs… then, in my fourth game back, I broke my hand. It was a routine play, one of 40 you see in every game. My body told me enough was enough, and it was tough to accept. But I had to come to terms with it. I had emergency surgery because the nerve was close to being extinguished. Fortunately, I have no lasting effects today.
RTSsport.ch: HC Davos offered you the position of sporting director. Do you regret turning it down?
FELICIEN DU BOIS: No, quite the opposite. I still lack the experience. In 10 years, I might tell you I’m ready for that role. But I reckon I’d get “eaten alive” by others. In that world of “sharks,” I wouldn’t be comfortable negotiating. And I’m very empathetic; I take things too personally. If I hired a coach, I’d feel guilty after a three-game losing streak.
I went to Ambri primarily to learn Italian. Then everything went well.
RTSsport.ch: Let’s go back in time. You started in the NLA in 2002/03 with Ambri-Piotta.
FELICIEN DU BOIS: Initially, I asked to join Ambri’s juniors primarily to learn Italian after finishing compulsory schooling in Le Locle. I didn’t necessarily think about making a career at the highest level. But everything went well for me in Ticino. In a club that, lacking resources, trusted young players. I joined the first team relatively late because I had fallen under the radar of the national junior selections. But I was able to seize my opportunity when it came.
RTSsport.ch: In the first round of the 2006 playoffs, HCAP led 3-0 in the series. You ultimately lost 4-3 to Lugano, the future champion. A heartbreaking elimination…
FELICIEN DU BOIS: That’s one of the dark moments of my career. We were close to our dream of knocking out the “grande” Lugano, featuring Petteri Nummelin and Co. I was on the ice when Julien Vauclair, coming out of the penalty box, equalized at 4-4 during the fourth period in a breakaway. I skated so speedy to catch him that I forgot to brake and lift my head (laughs). And I probably pushed the puck off his skate, under the belly of goalie Thomas Bäumle. We could have sealed the win on the power play, but instead, we lost in overtime… That was clearly the turning point of the series.
RTSsport.ch: In 2008, you moved to Kloten. With the Flyers, you lost 3 finals…
FELICIEN DU BOIS: I wanted to take the next step and play at the top of the standings. I succeeded from my first season, where we lost the final against Davos in 7 games. I had a lot of responsibility and contributed offensively (ed: 34 points). The same happened in 2011 against Davos again. That team knew how to win with veterans like Reto von Arx, Beat Forster and Co… In 2014, I had surgery on my adductors in January, so I was out for the end of the season and the final against Zurich. Since I already had a contract with Davos, some people took it badly within the Flyers organization. They thought my goal was to save myself for the future in Grisons…
RTSsport.ch: Signing with HCD was a winning bet! You won the title in 2015 (4-1 against Zurich).
FELICIEN DU BOIS: In 6 years, I had lost 2 finals against Davos, who still had all their key players. The calculation was quick: by joining their locker room, I was giving myself a chance to win. And in my first season there, in 2014/15, everything went like a movie, with the title at the end. I especially remember my penalty shot winner during the third period of the final in Zurich (see video below, from 02’27). Surprisingly, Arno Del Curto designated me among the shooters. Whistled by the 11,000 opposing fans, I went straight ahead, not really knowing what to do (laughs). And I surprised Lukas Flüeler with a quick shot into the top corner. It was a good moment, quite unusual for me.
RTSsport.ch: Del Curto, you mentioned him earlier, is a key figure in your career.
FELICIEN DU BOIS: I had heard so much about him that I wanted to see for myself and play under his orders. Until then, I had had “normal” coaches. He taught me a lot, both professionally and personally. His passion for hockey was truly unique. He always kept us on edge: you never knew what the next day would bring. Which wasn’t always easy for family life. He’s been in a dispute with the club since his resignation in 2018 and has left the region. The more intense the love, the more painful the separation…
I had given my approval, then the Red Wings went in another direction. So, no regrets.
RTSsport.ch: Few people know this, but the NHL once came knocking at your door…
FELICIEN DU BOIS: During the 2012 World Championship, Mike Babcock, then coach of Detroit, attended all of Switzerland’s practices. He was mainly there to observe Damien Brunner, but it seems the right-handed defenseman wearing number 13 also caught his eye (laughs). I was in good shape: I delivered good performances in Helsinki. Then, during the summer, as we were landing in Hong Kong for our honeymoon, an unknown number tried to reach me. It was Babcock.
RTSsport.ch: Tell us more!
FELICIEN DU BOIS: He wanted to know if I was willing to cross the Atlantic. At the time, I was 29 and thought, before that phone call, that the NHL was unattainable for me. We were about to start a family – my wife was pregnant – and I thought that having a career in the National League was okay. But my wife and I were ready to try the adventure! Babcock, very interested in my profile, warned me that he wasn’t the only decision-maker: the final word rested with the Red Wings’ general manager, Ken Holland. His choice fell on Carlo Colaiacovo, a Canadian defenseman.
RTSsport.ch: You didn’t have all the power in this matter…
FELICIEN DU BOIS: Exactly. Sometimes, I think it’s a shame it didn’t work out. What would have happened if I had gone to Detroit? We’ll never know… I had given my approval, then the club went in another direction. It was beyond my control. So, no regrets.
It hurt my heart to watch the 2013 World Championship. Because I should have been there.
RTSsport.ch: However, you still harbor some bitterness about not having played in the 2013 World Championship in Stockholm. And therefore missing that historic silver medal.
FELICIEN DU BOIS: Absolutely, it’s one of my only regrets. At that time, I had adductor problems. Sean Simpson, who relied heavily on me, had still offered me to come along, in case I recovered during the tournament. But I was in too much pain. It didn’t make sense to go there being at 80% of my ability. Honestly, it hurt my heart to watch that World Championship, even though it was an incredible epic. Because I should have been there. It’s hard to accept, but that’s life…
RTSsport.ch: It’s true that you were one of the pillars on defense since the 2009 World Championship in Bern. Where the national team finished 9th.
FELICIEN DU BOIS: Personally, it was a consecration to participate in my first World Championship that year, because Ralph Krueger had excluded me from the squad at the last moment in previous seasons. Despite the presence of a Mark Streit or a Goran Bezina, we perhaps didn’t yet have the mental maturity to manage the expectations of the Swiss public. Today, the players of the Swiss team have more confidence in their abilities and negotiate key moments better.
RTSsport.ch: What are your best memories from the World Championship?
FELICIEN DU BOIS: Looking back, it was in 2010 that my chances of a medal were the greatest. But we were eliminated in the quarterfinals, 1-0 against Germany. In 2011 in Slovakia, I scored the 2-2 in the third period against Canada (see video below). I fooled James Reimer – then a Toronto goalie – with a nice wrist shot from the blue line. We ultimately lost 4-3 in overtime, but it remains in my memory. Even the tie in 2016 against Norway in Moscow, where I equalized at 3-3 with 10 seconds left in the third period. That was also nice to be the “hero” of the moment.
Interviewed by Michaël Taillard
