Yet, this 25-year-old native of Roseau, MN has turned into a force to be reckoned with during the NHL postseason. For the second consecutive year, the 6’4”, 257-lb. Byguflien has proved to be an immovable force in the offensive zone, planting himself in front of the opposition’s net and happily rattling goaltenders into submission. Byfuglien scored game winning goals in Game 3 and Game 4 of the NHL Western Conference Finals against the San Jose Sharks. His goal in Game 4 give him eight post-season tallies, one more than teammate Jonathan Toewswho has seven post-season goals.
Tough Early Career
The road to the NHL wasn’t an easy one, however, for Byfuglien. The son of a Norwegian mother and African-American father, Byfuglien quit hockey for a year at age 15 when his motivation and school grades began to slip. At the time, Byfuglien decided to pursue hunting and fishing and similar outdoor pursuits. His on-ice skills had already attracted the attention of professional hockey scouts, eventually leading him to a tryout in suburban Chicago with the Chicago Mission, a local AAA level hockey team.
It didn’t take long for Mission coach Darren McClusky to determine that Byfuglien had a phenomenal set of skills and was an investment for the future of hockey. McClusky ended up placing Byfuglien with a family, the Szypuras in Warrenville, a western suburb of Chicago, where he attended high school while playing for the Mission. It turned out that year changed his hockey life as Byfuglien never looked back.
The following season, Byfuglien headed north to Canada to play junior hockey in the Western Hockey League, first with the Brandon Wheat Kings, then with the Prince George Cougars.
Bufyglien's Big Size was a DrawbackDespite his talent, his size put off many scouts and he was only drafted in the eighth round, 245th player chosen overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft. When he showed up for training camp that year at or near 290 pounds, former Blackhawk general manager Dale Tallon told Byfuglien he had to get into shape if he intended to be a success in the NHL. The 25-year-old Byfuglien has become a success story after an uncertain start to his professional career when those in charge of the Hawks at that time wondered if his weight would ever allow him to play in the NHL.
Off-Ice Training was Key
Byfuglien spent the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons bouncing back and forth between the parent Blackhawks and their minor league affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. At this point, Byfuglien was still trying to learn how to be a professional hockey player. Former Blackhawks assistant coach Trent Yawney, now part of the San Jose Sharks organization, has noted that several players and coaches took Byfuglien aside to persuade him to use off-ice training as a means to drop weight and get in shape so he could be a professional player.
That advice was eventually taken to heart by Byfuglien. Early in the 2007-2008 season while playing for the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks new affiliate in the AHL, Byfuglien scored seven points in eight games and was named AHL Player of the Week. He was called up to the Blackhawks on November 3 of that year, scoring a goal that night in a game against the St. Louis Blues, followed by his first career hat trick against the Phoenix Coyotes on November 30.
At that time, Byfuglien was still a defensemen. Former coach Denis Savard decided to take advantage of Byfuglien’s size by eventually moving him up to forward, playing on the team’s third and fourth lines, mainly as a mucker and grinder forward exhibiting the occasional ability to score.
From Defense to Offense
Current Blackhawk coach Joel Quenville, however, experimented with putting Byfuglien on the team’s top line with center Jonathan Toews and right wing Patrick Kane. That move gave the line some size and muscle to round out the finesse skills of the Toews and Kane. It also proved crucial in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, particularly during the second round when Byfuglien repeated rattled Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, Byfuglien finished the 2009 playoffs with goals and 6 assists in 17 games.
For most of the 2009-2010 season, Byfuglien played on various forward lines for the Blackhawks, earning 17 goals and 17 assists for a total of 34 points. He was invited to the USA Hockey Olympic Camp in Woodridge, IL in August 2009, but was ultimately not selected for the American Olympic team. Byfuglien returned to playing defense late in the 2009-2010 season after defenseman Brian Campbell suffered a broken collarbone. He returned to forward with Toews and Kane in the second round of the 2010 playoffs against Vancouver after Campbell returned to the lineup. He scored his first career playoff hat trick against Vancouver on May 5.
Arlene Miles - Versatile. That's how I describe myself and my writing in one word. I have 30 years' experience in various forms of media with most ...
Join the Conversation