Montreal Canadiens pick Tim Bozon skates for first time since meningitis scare

Three months ago, the hockey world held its collective breath after Montreal Canadiens draft choice Tim Bozon was put into a medically induced coma at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon after contracting neisseria meningitis.

There is no sugarcoating what Bozon and those close to him endured, or what a setback this was to his professional hockey prospects. Playing a full game might still be a ways off, but Bozon has regained the strength to lace up his skates and hit the ice. On Thursday, the former Kamloops Blazers and Kootenay Ice forward posted photos and video to Twitter and Instagram video that showed him performing stickhandling and shooting drills in an undisclosed location.

"Wow great feeling to be back on the ice!!! #firstime #bozysback," Bozon wrote.

When Bozon was released from hospital on March 28, his neurologist Dr. Gary Hunter, was optimistic about the 20-year-old Frenchman playing again.

"He's really motivated," Hunter said during a news conference that day. "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."

It will be a long journey, but it appears Bozon has taken a big step.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.