Byfuglien Making Big Impression

The Winnipeg Jets’ best defenseman, Dustin Byfuglien, has started to make a huge impression heading into his first season in a new city. Unfortunately it’s not the kind of impression he should be making. Word came out on Thursday he’d been arrested while driving a boat while intoxicated. Brilliant. The Jets’ first arrest is well before training camp even starts. Committing an offence like DWI is bad enough (whether on the roads or the water) but when word came out of his weighing in at the lockup, the incident really cast a shadow on his reputation (and a large shadow it is).

Byfuglien tipped the scales at a ginormous 286 pounds, anywhere from 25 to 40+ over his effective playing weight, depending on whom you believe. This is not good. Long gone are the days when players worked themselves into shape and dropped pounds during training camp. Most players stay in prime condition throughout the summer and then acclimate themselves to the rigours of playing a game once they get to camp. Teammates will be non judgmental as far as the DWI goes, but privately they’ll likely be questioning his commitment to the sport and team when he allows himself to become terribly out of shape while the rest of them are working their tails off to be their best come October.

The drunk driving offence has to make anyone question Byfuglien’s judgment. How blockheaded do you have to be to do something like this, given the high-profile position he is in, particularly starting out in a new location? To commit as potentially dangerous a crime as this also brings his intelligence into question. This is the kind of thing a dumbass redneck yahoo would do. What’s next, driving a snowmobile down the highway with a kid in tow? Dustin, you’re lucky to be in the position you’re in. I would expect that team management is none too pleased right now. I can imagine their first face-to-face meeting won’t be too pleasant. Think Byfuglien. The Jets won’t be as forgiving the second time around. Neither will another team. They might work with someone who makes the mistake of breaking the law, but they’re not going to keep a guy around who can’t be bothered to work hard and puts the team’s success in jeopardy. You could be out of the league before you know it. You’re good, but not that good.