Good article…he was so fun to watch especially when you could tell he was angry and would come storming up the ice.
I’d love to know how his presence and loss also impacted the locker room.
ShyGuyChicken
A folk hero of sorts. From[ the first fucking shift of the Jets 2.0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7UihqZpKCY&). What a player to watch. That summer of the buff drama was really a shot in the heart. Would’ve loved to see him get a proper send off. Not gonna make assumptions on who did/should’ve done what during that, just gonna remember the good times.
But given what we’ve learned of buff personality wise and off the ice, a dramatic and sudden ending like that was probably always in the cards.
TheKookDen
Byfuglien was amazing. I’m happy for the years we could call him ours.
lotw_wpg
Loved him. Sad that he left. That image of him with the two predators will always be one of my favourite images of the jets.
Shotgunn5
I think it’s hard to quantify all we lost when he left. Beyond just his physical presence on the ice, it appears we lost a desperately needed leader in the dressing room. Something hasn’t been right with the Jets since he’s left beyond just the whole he left in the lineup.
We were so lucky to watch him for so many years. It’s a shame the team was only competitive at the end of his career, what a menace playoff Buff was out there
annehboo
Why did he end up leaving? Someone catch me up lol
kingwoodballs
The jets haven’t been the same since he left. It sure seemed like he kept everyone in line. Judge jury and executioner. Feels like the Wild West now.
GreyStoneWpg22
Nice little read. These two stats blew me away:
from 2015-2018 Dustin Byfuglien had 142 “High-Danger Chances” (HDC) based on Natural Stat Trick metrics. The next comparable defenseman during that span (Brent Burns) had 76. Buff recorded nearly double the HDCs for a defenseman over a 3-year period while playing fewer minutes and shooting less (Burns took 1006 to Buff’s 681). He was also 2nd in “Expected Goals” and 3rd in rushing attempts.
Byfuglien had the largest delta between hits delivered vs. hits taken. He dolled out 552 (usually bruising) hits while only absorbing 186. It doesn’t take a genius to understand the disparity. At 6’5” and 260 plus pounds, Byfuglien combined the rarest size/skill combination I dare say the NHL has ever seen.
MyDickIsMeh
I was not happy with the way he left but he was an incredible character who is missed both on and off the ice.
TrueNorthStrong1898
If he had played out his contract, or even just retired properly in 2019, he would have been a legend in this city. The way he went out definitely hurt the team and his legacy, but he’s still one of my favourite Jets.
empathyx
Can’t hate him.
Civil_Defense
I miss that big old bastard.
Bighomiequan99
Such a rare player. You’ll never see a player like him again
homarjr
When I’m old and withered I bet I’ll feel more joy from Byfuglien than any other Jet in history.
Maybe even including Teemu.
ColdPrairieHockey
If this was pre youtube our kids would think we made Buff up into something he really wasn’t. An absolute unicorn of a hockey player who physically dominated, could skate as well as any other NHL player, absolute monster shot and played basically as a rover at times.
Scooterguy-
That massive collision with Oleksiak was insane. Must be the biggest collision (momentum wise) of all time.
16 Comments
Good article…he was so fun to watch especially when you could tell he was angry and would come storming up the ice.
I’d love to know how his presence and loss also impacted the locker room.
A folk hero of sorts. From[ the first fucking shift of the Jets 2.0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7UihqZpKCY&). What a player to watch. That summer of the buff drama was really a shot in the heart. Would’ve loved to see him get a proper send off. Not gonna make assumptions on who did/should’ve done what during that, just gonna remember the good times.
But given what we’ve learned of buff personality wise and off the ice, a dramatic and sudden ending like that was probably always in the cards.
Byfuglien was amazing. I’m happy for the years we could call him ours.
Loved him. Sad that he left. That image of him with the two predators will always be one of my favourite images of the jets.
I think it’s hard to quantify all we lost when he left. Beyond just his physical presence on the ice, it appears we lost a desperately needed leader in the dressing room. Something hasn’t been right with the Jets since he’s left beyond just the whole he left in the lineup.
We were so lucky to watch him for so many years. It’s a shame the team was only competitive at the end of his career, what a menace playoff Buff was out there
Why did he end up leaving? Someone catch me up lol
The jets haven’t been the same since he left.
It sure seemed like he kept everyone in line.
Judge jury and executioner.
Feels like the Wild West now.
Nice little read. These two stats blew me away:
from 2015-2018 Dustin Byfuglien had 142 “High-Danger Chances” (HDC) based on Natural Stat Trick metrics. The next comparable defenseman during that span (Brent Burns) had 76. Buff recorded nearly double the HDCs for a defenseman over a 3-year period while playing fewer minutes and shooting less (Burns took 1006 to Buff’s 681). He was also 2nd in “Expected Goals” and 3rd in rushing attempts.
Byfuglien had the largest delta between hits delivered vs. hits taken. He dolled out 552 (usually bruising) hits while only absorbing 186. It doesn’t take a genius to understand the disparity. At 6’5” and 260 plus pounds, Byfuglien combined the rarest size/skill combination I dare say the NHL has ever seen.
I was not happy with the way he left but he was an incredible character who is missed both on and off the ice.
If he had played out his contract, or even just retired properly in 2019, he would have been a legend in this city. The way he went out definitely hurt the team and his legacy, but he’s still one of my favourite Jets.
Can’t hate him.
I miss that big old bastard.
Such a rare player. You’ll never see a player like him again
When I’m old and withered I bet I’ll feel more joy from Byfuglien than any other Jet in history.
Maybe even including Teemu.
If this was pre youtube our kids would think we made Buff up into something he really wasn’t. An absolute unicorn of a hockey player who physically dominated, could skate as well as any other NHL player, absolute monster shot and played basically as a rover at times.
That massive collision with Oleksiak was insane. Must be the biggest collision (momentum wise) of all time.