Dustin Byfuglien

Dustin Byfuglien (/ˈbʌflɪn/ BUF-lin;[1] born March 27, 1985) is an American professional ice hockey player who is an unrestricted free agent. He previously played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets. Drafted as a defenseman, he has played both forward and defense in his career, although he has generally played defense in recent years.

Dustin Byfuglien
Byfuglien with the Winnipeg Jets in 2016
Born (1985-03-27) March 27, 1985
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 260 lb (118 kg; 18 st 8 lb)
Position Defense/Right wing
Shoots Right
team
Former teams		 Free Agent
Chicago Blackhawks
Atlanta Thrashers
Winnipeg Jets
NHL Draft 245th overall, 2003
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2005–present

Early life

Byfuglien was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Cheryl Byfuglien and Rick Spencer. His mother is of Norwegian and Swedish descent, and his father is African-American. Cheryl moved to Roseau, Minnesota, with Dustin to be closer to her family while Rick stayed in Minneapolis to continue college; the two never wed. In Roseau, Byfuglien was exposed to the game of hockey where he found an instant love for the sport, which soon turned into a calling. Byfuglien's stepfather, Dale Smedsmo, played four games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1972, and 110 games in the World Hockey Association (WHA).[2][3] Rick Spencer played college football for the St. Cloud State Huskies.

Due to being academically ineligible under Minnesota State High School League rules to play at Roseau High School, Byfuglien first moved to Warrenville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, to play AAA under-18 hockey for the Chicago Mission then moved to Canada to play major junior hockey.

Playing career

Chicago Blackhawks (2005–2010)
Byfuglien with the Blackhawks in April 2010

Byfuglien played major junior hockey for both the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Byfuglien was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2003. Originally a defenseman at the start of the 2007–08 season, he was moved to a right wing position to give the team a larger body near the net.[4]

He spent parts of his first two seasons with the Blackhawks' minor league team at the time, the Norfolk Admirals, and the Blackhawks. He excelled in his third professional season, becoming the first Rockford IceHogs player to earn the American Hockey League's Player of the Week award, when he scored one goal and had five assists in four games.[5] Byfuglien had seven points in eight games with Rockford before earning a recall on November 3, 2007, to the Chicago Blackhawks and never returned to the IceHogs.

He had a goal in his first shift with the Blackhawks in the 2007–08 season on November 3 against the St. Louis Blues and recorded his first career hat-trick against the Phoenix Coyotes on November 30.[6] He finished tied for fifth on the team with 19 goals and 36 points in his third season with the team, all while making a transition to forward throughout the campaign. He played a major role in the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup winning season in 2010, scoring 11 goals with five assists in the playoffs, including three goals in the Finals.[7]

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets (2010–2020)

On June 24, 2010, Byfuglien was traded by Chicago, along with Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and Akim Aliu, to the Atlanta Thrashers for the New Jersey Devils' first (Kevin Hayes) and second round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Marty Reasoner, Joey Crabb and Jeremy Morin.[8] The Thrashers moved Byfuglien back to his natural position of defense, although he had experience as a first-line and second-line winger with the Blackhawks, including the Blackhawks' run to the Stanley Cup in 2010. He became an alternate captain for the Thrashers after a few months into the 2010 season. Byfuglien was selected to his first All-Star Game, along with teammate Tobias Enström.[9] In the 2011 All-Star Game's Skill Competition, his slap shot was clocked at 102.5 mph.[10] A month later, on February 15, 2011, the Thrashers signed Byfuglien to a five-year, $26 million contract extension.[11] He scored 12 goals along with 41 assists during the 2011–12 season that saw the Thrashers move to Winnipeg. Byfuglien appeared in 66 games for the Jets that season and was again invited to the NHL All-Star Game.[12]

Byfuglien with the Thrashers in December 2010

Prior to the 2013–14 season, Byfuglien admitted he changed his fitness regime to work more on stickhandling and puck movement.[13] That season, Byfuglien recorded a career high 56 points.

After being moved back to his natural position, Byfuglien recorded 12 goals and 35 points in 48 games. As a result, he was invited to the 2015 NHL All-Star Game as the Jets sole representative.[14] On April 2, 2015, Byfuglien was suspended four games for cross-checking New York Rangers forward J. T. Miller in the head during a March 31 game.[15]

Byfuglien with the Jets in February 2013

His All-Star streak continued into the following season, as he was invited to his fourth All-Star game. At the time of his selection, Byfuglien has amassed nine goals and 23 points through 40 games.[16] On February 8, 2016, Byfuglien signed a five-year, $38 million contract extension with the Jets to remain with the team through the 2020–21 season.[17]

On October 27, 2018, Byfuglien recorded his 500th NHL point in a 2–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, becoming the 14th player drafted in the eighth round or later to hit 500 points.[18] He suffered a lower-body injury in a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild in December 2018 and was expected to miss at least 10 games.[19] Byfuglien eventually returned in February only to be re-injured again.[20] Despite this setback, the Jets qualified for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, where he averaged over 25 minutes per game and recorded 8 points in 6 games.[21]

On September 13, 2019, he was granted an indefinite personal leave of absence by the Winnipeg Jets.[22] However, he was later suspended by the Jets for not returning to training camp, though later reports indicated this was for salary cap relief.[23] He underwent surgery for a high ankle sprain in late October, 2019, without direct involvement of the team. [24]

On February 24, 2020, the Jets announced that Byfuglien would not return for the remainder of the season.[25] On April 17, the Jets and Byfuglien mutually agreed to a contract termination, making Byfuglien a free agent.[26]

Personal life

Byfuglien is an avid fisherman, and competed in the 2011 Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship on Rainy Lake. On August 31, 2011, Byfuglien was arrested on Lake Minnetonka and booked on suspicion of boating while intoxicated.[27] Byfuglien pled guilty, and was sentenced to two days of community service on July 23, 2012.[28]

Byfuglien and his wife, Emily, have three children.[29][30] All of the couple's children were born in Winnipeg.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 Roseau High School HS-MN —————
2001–02 Chicago Mission MAHL 5232306240 —————
2001–02 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 30000 —————
2002–03 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 81124 —————
2002–03 Prince George Cougars WHL 489283774 513412
2003–04 Prince George Cougars WHL 66162945137 —————
2004–05 Prince George Cougars WHL 64223658184 —————
2005–06 Norfolk Admirals AHL 538152375 41234
2005–06 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 2532524 —————
2006–07 Norfolk Admirals AHL 63162844146 602218
2006–07 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 912310 —————
2007–08 Rockford IceHogs AHL 825725 —————
2007–08 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 6719173659 —————
2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 7715163181 1736926
2009–10 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 8217173494 221151620
2010–11 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 8120335393 —————
2011–12 Winnipeg Jets NHL 6612415372 —————
2012–13 Winnipeg Jets NHL 438202834 —————
2013–14 Winnipeg Jets NHL 7820365686 —————
2014–15 Winnipeg Jets NHL 69182745124 40114
2015–16 Winnipeg Jets NHL 81193453119 —————
2016–17 Winnipeg Jets NHL 80133952117 —————
2017–18 Winnipeg Jets NHL 6983745112 175111620
2018–19 Winnipeg Jets NHL 424273169 62684
NHL totals 8691773485251094 6621295074

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2016 United States WCH 7th 2 0 1 1 2
Senior totals 2 0 1 1 2

Awards and honors
Award Year
AHL
All-Star Game 2007
Second All-Star Team 2007
NHL
Stanley Cup (Chicago Blackhawks) 2010
NHL All-Star Game 2011, 2012*, 2015, 2016

* injury prevented attendance

See also

References
  1. "Dustin Byfuglien and his dog, Walter" on YouTube
  2. Ziemer, Brad (2010-05-06). "Dustin Byfuglien: Did you know …". The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver. Archived from the original on 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  3. Rogers, Jesse (2010-05-07). "Byfuglien has found emotional side". ESPN. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  4. "Byfuglien at forward experiment for US could be short-lived". San Diego Union Tribune. 2013-09-13. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  5. "ROCKFORD'S BYFUGLIEN NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK". theahl.com. October 22, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  6. "Byfuglien has natural hat trick, Blackhawks rout Coyotes". ESPN. 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  7. "CHAMPION CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS SEND PLAYOFF HERO BYFUGLIEN TO THRASHERS". The Hockey News. 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  8. "Hawks deal Byfuglien, Sopel to Thrashers". National Hockey League. 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  9. Manasso, John (January 9, 2011). "Despite position change, Byfuglien finds stardom". nhl.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  10. Laws, Kenneth (August 4, 2015). "The Top 10 Americans in the NHL Today". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019. He was also clocked at 102.5 mph in the slapshot competition in 2011’s All-Star game.
  11. Kalan, David (February 15, 2011). "Byfuglien signs extension with Atlanta". nhl.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  12. "Dustin Byfuglien 'worthy choice' for 2012 NHL All-Star Game". National Post. January 13, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  13. Friesen, Paul (September 12, 2013). "Slimmed-down Dustin Byfuglien ready for coming NHL season". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  14. Wiebe, Ken (January 23, 2015). "Winnipeg Jets' Dustin Byfuglien soaking up the atmosphere at NHL all-star game". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  15. "Byfuglien suspended four games for cross-checking". NHL.com. April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  16. Clinton, Mitchell (January 6, 2016). "Dustin Byfuglien heading to All-Star Game in Nashville". nhl.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  17. Johnston, Mike (February 8, 2016). "Jets sign Dustin Byfuglien to five-year contract extension". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  18. Wiebe, Ken (October 27, 2018). "Byfuglien's milestone point propels Jets to win over Red Wings". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  19. Billeck, Scott (December 31, 2018). "Byfuglien out for Jets until after All-Star Weekend". nhl.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  20. "Byfuglien out at least three games for Jets with lower-body injury". nhl.com. February 19, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  21. Goethals, Ryan (August 29, 2019). "Jets Report Cards 2018-19: Dustin Byfuglien". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  22. "Winnipeg Jets grant Dustin Byfuglien personal leave of absence". The Sporting News. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  23. "Byfuglien suspended by Jets for not being at camp: report". nhl.com. September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  24. "Winnipeg Jets say absent Dustin Byfuglien had ankle surgery, with team not 'directly involved' in decision". usatoday.com. October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  25. "Byfuglien won't play this season". Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  26. Campbell, Tim (April 17, 2020). "Byfuglien, Jets agree to terminate contract". NHL.com. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  27. "Byfuglien arrested on Boating incident". Minnesota Star Tribune. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  28. "Jets' Byfuglien pleads to careless boating charge". CBS Sports. 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  29. "Jets welcome baby Buff". Winnipeg Free Press. 2011-12-28. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  30. "Jets D Dustin Byfuglien all about new beginnings as season gets underway". Winnipeg Sun. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
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