Dustin Byfuglien was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2003 while playing defence for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. And on defence was where his NHL career started. After two years as a pro, 34 NHL games and 116 AHL games, Byfuglien started year three with Rockford, but was now a forward. The Hawks needed some size up front and Byfuglien could fill that void. His next call to the NHL came in early November of the 2007-08 season and he has stayed in the big league ever since. He scored on his first shift and later that month added his first career hat-trick. He was a huge contributor in the 2010 playoffs as the Hawks won the Stanley Cup. Cap issues forced the Hawks to make some moves and Byfuglien was moved to Atlanta. Rick Dudley was the general manager with the Thrashers and Byfuglien the option on where hed play. I said D, Byfuglien explained. Perfect, that’s what I wanted.” One year in Atlanta and the franchise moved to Winnipeg. Byfuglien remained a blueliner until January of 2014. The Jets had lost four in a row and then coach Claude Noel moved Byfuglien up front. For the first time all season, Byfuglien saw his ice time drop below 20 minutes. The Jets lost the game and Paul Maurice was behind the Jets bench for the next game, but Byfuglien remained a forward. At training camp, Maurice continued to use Byfuglien as a forward, on the point on the power play, and on the blue line in four-on-four situations, including overtime. The idea was the get Byfuglien as much ice time as possible, but depending on special teams, the ice time would fluctuate from a low of 13:28 to a high of 23:17. Then came the injuries to the back end. First Toby Enstrom, then Grant Clitsome. Ben Chairot was summoned from St. John’s and the Jets D pairings against Edmonton on December 3 were Stuart/Trouba, Chairot/Bogosian and Pardy/Postma. Late in the game, Zach Bogosian blocked a shot and he was done. Three of the Jets top six D were now on the shelf. So on December 4, Byfuglien came in for practice and found a red defenceman jersey hanging in his stall. Byfuglien accepted the fact the team needed him to play up front, but his preference is and always will be, to play defence. The easiest move for Maurice was to leave the rest of the pairings the same and put Byfuglien with Chairot. The pairings stayed that way for five games. Out went Mark Stuart and the next game Jacob Trouba was put on IR. Clitsome had returned, but still leaving the Jets minus their top-four defencemen. Byfuglien’s ice time jumped to the high 20s and he quickly became a dominant NHL defenceman. After fifteen games on defence, he was selected to the All-Star team as a defenceman and played so well in the next five games, he was named the NHLs First Star of the Week on January 19. This is Byfuglien’s third All-Star selection, although he missed the 2012 All-Star Game because of injury. In 26 games as a forward, Byfuglien had five goals and six assists. In 22 games as a defenceman, he tallied seven goals and 13 goals. The list of players that have seen Byfuglien’s physical side up close includes Tyson Barrie, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Francois Beauchemin, Corey Perry and Jason Spezza. This from Maurice – “Byfuglien has been a critical element in us surviving all the injuries. He is playing with a lot of confidence. Playing at a really high level – big minutes, providing offense. Never a doubt he’s a special player.” If Byfuglien was a run-and-gun defenceman last year, thats not the case now. Hes right into the defence-first system. His former Chicago teammate, Jets captain Andrew Ladd referred to #33 as “extraordinary. Ladd has had a front-row seat for most of Byfuglien’s career. “I played junior against him, Ladd said. He was a dominant offensive force. A defenceman that could control the game, a game breaker.” Ladd remembers the postseason as the time Byfuglien truly broke out in Chicago. “He had some early success, but with the depth on D it meant he would have only played 10 to 15 minutes a night, so (Blackhawks coach) Joel Quennville had the luxury of shifting him and getting him out there 18 to 20, Ladd explained. We had skilled guys that could get him the puck and he had an immediate impact up front. When he really took off was in the playoffs. The Vancouver series stands out most about how dominant he could be as a forward. He was our best player in the series.” In separate deals, both then moved to Atlanta where Byfuglien resumed his career as a defenceman. Ladd was impressed, but not surprised. “On D you have a player that is going to play 30 minutes, said Ladd. Any time you can get a player with his puck skills out for another 12 minutes, it’s to your benefit. And he had a great year. He led D-men in goals (20). Then, we came here and because we were all thinking offence is probably what got him moved back up front. Then, with all the injuries this year, he was the perfect guy to throw back there. He controls the puck and physically there is not a more dominant player in the NHL.” “He is the leader back there, said Blake Wheeler of Byfuglien. Hes so instrumental in our success. His best asset is the way he thinks the game and sees the ice. He’s special. Unlike anyone.” Wheeler also feels Byfuglien is now being appreciated for his efforts. Wheeler made the reference of a puppy looking for love, but that continuously gets snubbed. “When you don’t get it, it can wear on you, said Wheeler. He now feels what he does is impactful. He feels appreciated.” “He talks a lot out there,” said Chairot when asked about Byfuglien. “He has been a real calming influence for me.” As for the big man himself, he does far more talking on the ice than he does in media scrums. “No doubt I’m playing better defence, but the whole team is, said Byfuglien. I enjoy being back there.” He actually was told after the game against Edmonton (when the severity of the Bogosian injury was confirmed) that he was going back. “I’d been hinting all year about going back, now it was happening, he said. There was a quick conversation with [Maurice] about guidelines.” On December 4, after his first practice on the back end, he was asked about the adjustment. “Just like getting out of my king size bed, putting on my slippers,” he said. Byfuglien truly enjoys being a defenceman - why? “I control the game. That’s my playground. Simple.” Brad Peacock Jersey . Ho-Sang is a highly regarded prospect, as seen in TSNs Midseason Rankings. This was Game 3 of their playoff series and that wasnt the only strange incident in Londons 10-2 win over Windsor. Charlie Morton Jersey .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. http://www.astrosteamproshop.com/Astros-...ck-Kids-Jersey/. Austin Watson, Scott Ford, Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder had the other goals for the Admirals (30-21-12). Scott Darling made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season. Jimmy Wynn Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Yuli Gurriel Jersey . -- Canadian Erik Bedard pitched into the fifth inning in his bid to win a spot in Tampa Bays rotation, helping the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Saturday.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Henrik Lundqvist didnt start this night with a ceremony in his honour, and he didnt finish it with a shutout. However, he and the New York Rangers skated off the ice Wednesday with a key 3-1 victory over the rival Philadelphia Flyers and an important two points in the Metropolitan Division playoff race. Lundqvist stopped 30 shots and came within 1:53 of his second shutout in three games. That was enough to earn his 30th win — a mark he has reached eight times in his nine-season NHL career. "It was huge. I thought we played a really strong game," said Lundqvist, who is in 24th place on the NHL win list with 306. "We just have to keep going, not think too much, just keep on our details." Lundqvist was honoured Monday for recently breaking the Rangers records for career wins and shutouts. The Rangers stretched their season-best winning streak to five games, and now embark on a four-game, Western Conference trip. It is their longest winning run since another five-game spurt from Dec. 30, 2011 to Jan. 10, 2012. The second-place Rangers moved three points ahead of third-place Philadelphia by winning what could be a playoff preview. New York has eight games remaining, and the Flyers have 10 left. "Its going to pay off to not make it too complicated for ourselves or think about the standings," Lundqvist said. Derek Dorsett scored in the first period, defenceman Ryan McDonagh added a goal in the second, and Dominic Moore made it 3-0 in the third against Steve Mason, who made 26 saves. The Flyers Jakub Voracek scored his 21st goal off a faceoff with 1:53 to go to make it 3-1. Voracek scored for the third straight game, but it was too little, too late for Philadelphia. The Flyers, who had a five-game winning streak broken against Los Angeles on Monday, have dropped two in a row for the first time since an 0-3-1 skid from Jan. 20-25. "We didnt play our game. We didnt have energy. It was a weird game," Flyers captain Claude Giroux said. "We have to do a better job of getting ready. We had some big wins over good teams lately. Now we need some rest." McDonagh, who has been on an offensive hot streak recently, did it all in scoring his 14th of the season to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. He stopped a clearing attempt at the centre of the blue line, skated into the right circle, and snapped off a hard, rising wrist shot that nestled into the top right corner of the net. "We were able to catch them throwing pucks, and our D and eveerybody did a good job keeping pucks alive," McDonagh said.dddddddddddd "We really wore them down in the offensive zone." McDonagh, who assisted on the Rangers tying goal late in regulation against Phoenix on Monday and then netted the winner in overtime as part of a career-best, three-point night, has six goals and seven assists in his past 13 games. "For any team to win, you need your top players playing at a high level," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "(Lundqvist) has found his game, and Ryan McDonagh has just been a force out there. Hes got to be getting some consideration for the Norris (Trophy) the way he is playing offensively and defensively." Lundqvist did the rest in a quieter second period when his teammates outshot the Flyers 17-10. He moved well and didnt seem bothered by constant traffic in the crease. His best stop came with 5:23 left when he slid to his right to get his pad on a shot by Adam Hall off a rebound in tight. He then sprawled on his stomach and covered the puck with his glove. In the opening minute of the second, Lundqvist denied Wayne Simmonds on a redirected shot and then pounced on the rebound. Moore gave Lundqvist breathing room when he scored his sixth of the season with 12:21 remaining. "We didnt come out with our best effort," Mason said. "We have to be better in big games like this." Despite being outshot and outchanced by Philadelphia in the first, the Rangers carried a 1-0 lead into the intermission thanks to Dorsetts fourth of the season. Mason tried to swing the puck from behind his net up the left-wing boards, but it was intercepted by Brian Boyle along the wall. Boyle sent the puck in front to Dorsett, who knocked it down, gathered it and sent in a backhander at 8:41. The Flyers picked up the pace and built a 15-6 shots edge in the first and nearly tied it during a late power play. "Philly dominated us as far as shots, and they got some chances on that power play at the end," Vigneault said of the first period, "but that is when your goaltender has to come up big. "When we had some breakdowns, he was the difference." NOTES: With Chris Kreider sidelined by a hand injury, the Rangers called up centre J.T. Miller from Hartford (AHL). Kreider wont accompany New York on its trip that begins Friday at Calgary. ... The Flyers fell to 8-3-1 in March and 12-4-1 since Feb. 1. ... The Rangers have won eight straight over the Flyers at home, dating to March 6, 2011. Wholesale Orioles JerseysRed Sox Jerseys ChinaCheap Stitched Yankees JerseysCheap Stitched Rays JerseysWholesale Blue Jays JerseysCheap White Sox JerseysCheap Indians JerseysWholesale Tigers JerseysRoyals Jerseys ChinaCheap Stitched Twins JerseysCheap Stitched Astros JerseysWholesale Angels JerseysAthletics Jerseys ChinaWholesale Mariners Jerseys Free ShippingCheap Rangers Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Braves JerseysCheap Marlins JerseysWholesale Mets JerseysCheap Stitched Phillies JerseysWholesale Nationals JerseysCheap Cubs Jerseys OnlineWholesale Reds JerseysCheap Brewers Jerseys OnlineCheap Pirates Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Cardinals JerseysCheap Diamondbacks Jerseys AuthenticCheap Rockies Jerseys AuthenticCheap Dodgers Jerseys AuthenticCheap Padres Jerseys OnlineWholesale Giants Jerseys ' ' '