Dustin Byfuglien back in the Jets’ dressing room for alumni game

To say that Dustin Byfuglien wasn’t a fan of the spotlight is an understatement of epic proportions.

The guy with the personality that was larger than life preferred to keep that side of him mostly contained behind the hallowed halls of the Winnipeg Jets locker room.

Since he swiftly and unexpectedly stepped away from the game in the fall of 2019, Byfuglien has limited his rare interviews to discussions about fishing, happily leaving the NHL game in his rearview mirror.

But on Saturday morning, there was Byfuglien standing in the newly-renovated Jets’ dressing room, holding court with a group of reporters hanging on his every word prior to the alumni game that was part of the 2026 Heritage Classic.

Byfuglien seemed at ease, engaging in friendly banter and showing off his humour while showing appreciation for what it means to be back in the city that embraced him as one of the most popular players ever to wear the Jets’ jersey in any era.

“He’s such a massive part of our group and what we built here,” said former Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “He’s such an important piece to what we did on the ice but also our dressing room and what we had in the room.”

Claude Noel, tasked with running the bench in the alumni game, didn’t think there was going to be a lot of coaching being done.

But he wasn’t going to make the fans wait longer than necessary to see what many of them were looking forward to for the past seven years or so.

“He’ll be starting and he’ll be the only one on the ice,” who was the first head coach of the Jets in the 2.0 era, “He never got a chance to say goodbye to anybody with a ‘this is my last year tour type of thing.’”

“Buff is a special player and a special person. He was a terrific person in the room and he brings a lot of joy.”

Byfuglien always planned to go quietly into the sunset, without the pomp and circumstances players of his stature often receive.

That’s not his style and to be honest, he would have hated any additional attention that would have accompanied a last year tour.

“I just like to stay quiet, keep it simple,” said Byfuglien, who spent eight of his 14 NHL seasons suiting up with the Jets and one more with the Atlanta Thrashers.

But that doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve a proper sendoff, and you can be sure the fans inside Canada Life Centre will be showering him with appreciation during this game of shinny against the Montreal Canadiens.

“He deserves that. He put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into where this franchise is today,” said former Jets captain Andrew Ladd. “A lot of big moments in this franchise’s history. Everywhere we go – we were in Chicago last year doing stuff – he always gets the biggest pop. People appreciate what he brought to the ice.”

Noel spoke about a 45-minute conversation he had with Byfuglien early in his tenure about trying to unlock some of the untapped potential, telling the player he felt that if he was willing to lower his risk profile slightly that he had the natural ability to be the best defenceman in the entire NHL.

“If we could get you to play a certain way, you could be introducing yourself to the Norris Trophy, as a candidate or potential winner,” said Noel.

But that was part of both the beauty and the curse of Byfuglien as a player: because he loved to draw outside the lines on occasion, there were some decisions that occasionally went along with so many of the incredible, highlight-reel moments.

“He speaks from the heart, he’s very sincere and he reminds me of a river player. In the NHL, you don’t see (a lot of) those guys,” said Noel, who remembered watching some video of Byfuglien from his time with the Atlanta Thrashers. “There’s a green light (to join the rush) and then, there’s a fluorescent green light. He was on the fluorescent green light program. I had to tame that down a little bit. It took us quite a while.”

There are numerous videos circulating on YouTube and social media of Byfuglien’s greatest hits – including various bone-crushing hits, the times he pulled multiple players out of the pile and the numerous highlight-reel goals he scored or the passes he made to set up others.

Trying to pin down a particular moment was tough for Byfuglien, but it was easy for Tanner Glass, who made up one third of the GST line with Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn.

“That pre-season game. The big hit and the welcome to Winnipeg moment,” said Glass. “He was always the life of the room and brings the energy every day.”

That welcome to Winnipeg moment came in front of a packed barn for the first pre-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Immediately after the opening faceoff, Byfuglien crushed Blue Jackets forward Cody Bass with a hit and then dropped the gloves in a fight that whipped the capacity crowd into a frenzy.

NHL hockey was back in Winnipeg, and Byfuglien gave the fans something to cheer for almost immediately.

“I mean it got going a little quicker than we were expecting,” he said. “It just made the welcome to Winnipeg become that much better, easier.”

Byfuglien gave those fans plenty to cheer about over the years, and his sudden departure from the team left a gaping hole on the blue line that was impossible to fill.

Some time was required for some folks to come to grips with Byfuglien walking away from the final three years of his contract to unofficially retire, though he still hasn’t filed the paperwork.

Byfuglien had no interest in going into detail about the end of his time with the Jets, but he said he had no regrets.

“No. It’s the way it was. It’s the way I picked it,” said Byfuglien, who was asked how he knew it was time to step away from the game. “You just do. You’re feeling — just the way things were going and the way I just felt it.

“Injuries played a big part of it. Family, kids, just everything, you know? Long time being away from home, just running around doing it, chasing the game.”

Byfuglien insisted that he hasn’t missed the NHL game and isn’t keeping tabs on it these days, though he has gotten involved in hockey by helping out on the coaching staff on his son’s teams.

“You have to start the game over again. Learn it. Teach it,” said Byfuglien. “Teaching things is a little harder than it looks. It’s fun. My boys have a bunch of good groups of kids. The parents are good, so it’s been fun. Learning how to teach the kids the right way and to try to get them in the right steps to go in the right direction.”

He’s also thoroughly enjoyed the pro fishing tour he’s been involved with, finding plenty of camaraderie in one of his favourite outdoor activities.

“It’s another one of those environments (where) you stand around a boat and BS with the boys, just the same as sitting in the locker room,” said Byfuglien. “It’s another little tight family you get around the boat ramp and I’m good.”

Byfuglien made sure to let Jets fans know that he’s spent time reflecting on what his time in Winnipeg meant to him and his family.

“I guess every time I come back up here, it’s… everyone wants to stop, wants to take a picture, say hi,” he said. “It’s great. It’s awesome to be that person. Do I enjoy it all the time? No. Absolutely. I like to just go under the radar and be sitting in the back corner, just watching everything.

“I mean, it’s an honour. It’s a privilege to be liked like that by a city.”

winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe