Black History - Black Hockey Players #3 - Dustin Byfuglien

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People who don't follow hockey often ask me, out of curiosity, if there are any black hockey players. The answer is yes, and I am counting down ten of them, in no particular order. We are at #3: Dustin Byfuglien. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has been playing in the National Hockey League since 2005, for the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and the Winnipeg Jets (the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg in 2011.) A one man wrecking crew, Byfuglien (pronounced "Bufflen") is a big, strong, hard hitter. Opponents literally have to keep their head on a swivel when Byfuglien is on the ice, as he will put a puck handler flat out on the ice every chance he gets. And if a guy wants to drop the gloves and go toe to toe with the man, he will gladly do so. And win. A natural defenseman, Byfuglien also has great speed, outstanding puck handling skill, and is a gifted goal scorer. During the 2010 season, the Blackhawks used him as a forward, and he was instrumental in the team winning the Stanley Cup that year. Dustin Byfuglien has, thus far, played in 869 NHL regular season games, and 66 post-season games. He has scored 177 regular season goals (and 21 playoffs,) served up 348 assists (29 playoffs,) and amassed 1094 penalty minutes (74 in the playoffs.) In addition to being a Stanley Cup Champion, Byfuglien is a four-time All-Star. Every time I watch Byfuglien play, the same thought pops into my head: "God, I wish this guy played for the Avalanche." I'm sure fans of other teams think the same. (Info verified by Wikipedia)