Byfuglien making name for himself in postseason
It appears Dustin Byfuglien is on his way to being one of those players whose careers are defined by what they do in the playoffs.
For the second straight spring, Byfuglien is playing difference-making hockey for the Blackhawks after struggling with inconsistency during the regular season.
Byfuglien's goal in Tuesday's 4-2 win at San Jose in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals was his second of the series and sixth of the playoffs, trailing only Jonathan Toews in that department.
"I don't know what it is," Byfuglien said. "There's something about playoffs that seems to get me going a little bit more, but as the team's going, I'm going."
Thanks in large part to Byfuglien's net presence it's going great for the Hawks, who lead the West finals 2-0 with Game 3 set for Friday night at the United Center.
The "Big Man," as Patrick Kane calls Byfuglien, was dominant in front of the net in the last series against Vancouver and is picking up where he left in this one.
The Canucks had no answer for the 6-foot-4, 257-pound Byfuglien, and the Sharks are having the same issues after 2-1 and 4-2 losses.
Byfuglien scored on a deflection Tuesday and was in front of the net with Toews as well on the captain's power-play goal.
"Buff seems to be a playoff performer, and it's exciting to play with him," Kane said.
"Buff is a big body, and he creates a lot of traffic and good screens in front of the goaltender," Toews said. "Kaner is kind of out in the open ice dangling around and we're picking up the garbage."
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.
Byfuglien was at or close to 290 pounds when he first showed up at prospects camp after being drafted in the eighth round in 2003. Former general manager Dale Tallon told him he needed to get himself in shape if he ever hoped to move up the ladder within the organization.
"Some guys it just takes a little longer," Tallon said this week. "He's big, strong, physical and tough to play against, but he needed to get in shape in order to play in the NHL.
"Give him credit because he did it. I told him what he needed to do, and he did it."
Sharks assistant coach Trent Yawney was the Hawks' head coach at Byfuglien's first prospects camp and remembers seeing a guy with a world of talent but not in the proper shape to play professionally.
"In the rookie camps when they first drafted him I had him a couple times," Yawney said. "I think (former Hawks scout) Marshall Johnston said it best, that he had (an abundance of) talent and that he just needed to learn how to be a pro. And that if he learned that, he was going to be a very, very good player."
Yawney credits former Hawks captain Martin Lapointe and current assistant coach Mike Haviland with helping get through to Byfuglien. Haviland coached Byfugflien at Norfolk and Rockford during those years when he was trying to figure things out, then as a defenseman.
"He's got tremendous skill, as everybody knows, but it takes more than that to be a successful player in the NHL," Yawney said. "I think his first year, when Marty Lapointe was there, there were some veteran players that took him aside and made him realize if he would buy into the off-ice program that the rest of the stuff that comes with being a successful player would be right around the corner.
"I think the one guy that did a great job with him who maybe doesn't get talked about a lot is Mike Haviland," Yawney added. "He had him right out of junior in Norfolk and there were some growing pains."
It was former Hawks coach Denis Savard who ultimately moved Byfuglien from defense to forward, and the rest is history.
But it's Tallon whom Byfugflien credits for being tough on him in those early years and pushing him to be the player he is now.
"He was always behind me and always giving me some great comments and things to work on," Byfuglien said. "He definitely was a big factor getting me here."
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