So Dustin Byfuglien went and got arrested for BWI (Boating While Intoxicated) after he refused that grand old test where you blow into a device that determines your level of sobriety or drunkeness. Normally we would not make light of such a thing as boating drunk or the suspicion (he has 36 hours to be charged) will now be determined by blood or urine tests.
Yes there was a photo taken as well but the mugshot would not be released to the media. However, it was reported today that Byfuglien was tipping the scales around 285 pounds. It was 286 to be exact but who was counting that extra meal from the local eatery. Darren Wolfson may want to go back and do some math as well but that is besides the point. According to several people we talked to and the NHL, Byfuglien played around 265 pounds all last year. Some had said he even fluctuated somewhere between 260 and 275 pounds throughout the year.
This is not the first time that an athlete has seen his mugshot or picture bantied about in the court of public opinion and nor will it be the last. However, did Mr. Wolfson bother to even look at the NHL website or did he just make an erroneous typo? Honestly, he was looking for press and pub. Well he got it!
The real story lies in the first sentence ladies and gentlemen but more importantly for fantasy purposes, some are already souring on Byfuglien a bit here. Is a 50 point guy worth taking so early in drafts for potential? If he plays with Tobias Enstrom the whole year, the answer is still no because a fantasy GM has to know to draf based on best available and not just on name recognition. This is a basic creed in the industry if you will.
Yes he did have a breakout season with 53 points after averaging about 34 points a year for three years with the Chicago Blackhawks. So I guess Atlanta was good to him but now they are in Winnipeg where the fans and fantasy fans will want the same or more. That expectation is not easy to fulfill. However, driving a boat drunk or being arrested on suspicion of it is well uncategorically dumb. It is a bonehead move done by a player who really needed not to be in the spotlight as he is playing hockey only three hours of his native town.
Will this have a negative fantasy impact? The jury is still out but the next time people do need to do their homework before putting things out in print that are exaggerated. There you have it!
