Dustin Byfuglien
| Dustin Byfuglien | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 27, 1985 Minneapolis, MN, USA | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 257 lb (117 kg; 18 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing/defense | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| NHL draft |
245th overall, 2003 Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| Playing career | 2005–present | ||
Dustin Byfuglien (Template:Pron-en "Bufflin")[1] (born March 27, 1985) is a American professional hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Early life
 |
Byfuglien was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to his mother Cheryl Byfuglien and father Ricky Spencer. Cheryl moved to Roseau with Dustin to be closer to her family while Ricky 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.[2] His mother is Norwegian, and his father is African American.[3]
Due to academic ineligibility in Roseau, Byfuglien moved to Chicago in hopes of not ruining any chance he could possibly have at playing hockey. In Chicago he played hockey well enough to be drafted by Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. His improved playing and physical game caught the eye of the Chicago Blackhawks, who drafted him in 2003. He is known to be the heaviest player in the NHL. He also has a reputation for playing with intensity and grit.
Playing career
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, an experiment which has proven successful.
The forward 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 five assists in four games. Byfuglien had seven points in eight games with Rockford. Byfuglien earned a recall on November 3 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 NHL season on November 3 against the St. Louis Blues and recorded his first career hat trick against the Phoenix Coyotes on November 30. 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. Byfuglien scored a hat trick in a second-round playoff game against the Vancouver Canucks on May 5, 2010[4], and was a huge part of ousting the Canucks in that playoff series.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001–02 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 48 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 74 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 26 | ||||||||||||||
References
- ^ http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8470834&service=page&tab=prf
- ^ Rogers, Jesse (2010-05-07). "Byfuglien has found emotional side". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
- ^ Ziemer, Brad (2010-05-06). "Dustin Byfuglien: Did you know …". Vancouver Sun. Vancouver.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|accesdate=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2009030243
See also
External links
- 1985 births
- African American ice hockey players
- American ice hockey right wingers
- American people of Norwegian descent
- Brandon Wheat Kings alumni
- Chicago Blackhawks players
- Ice hockey personnel from Minnesota
- Living people
- Norfolk Admirals players
- People from Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Prince George Cougars alumni
- Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players