The Bruins neighborhood is mourning on the passing of one of many nice characters within the membership’s century-long historical past, Lyndon Byers, who died on Friday on the age of 61.
Byers’ passing was introduced on Fb by his spouse Annie, who wrote that she and their son Will had been nonetheless processing the tough information and requested for area as they accomplish that.
“Please know (or as LB would have mentioned ‘not for nothing’) we acknowledge how many individuals liked and cared for him and regarded him a buddy. Hold LB in your reminiscence, keep in mind his smile and know the way a lot he cared about all of you,” she wrote.
A reason behind dying was not instantly identified, although he had been battling well being points.
Byers was a part of the late Nineteen Eighties, early ‘90s Bruins’ workforce that lastly broke the Montreal curse, beating the Canadiens for the primary time in a playoff collection in 45 years, and went to 2 Stanley Cup Finals.
A high-scoring ahead in junior hockey (he had 89 factors in 58 video games in his final season with the Regina Pats), he was drafted within the second spherical by the Bruins in 1982. However he discovered his area of interest within the NHL – a a lot totally different atmosphere from the one we see at this time – the onerous manner. He dropped the gloves with any and all comers, a lot to the delight of followers and teammates. He performed 260 video games for the Bruins earlier than ending his profession with the San Jose Sharks. In three seasons from 1987-90, he amassed 613 penalty minutes in 145 video games.
A press release from the membership learn partially, “Lyndon was a fan favourite throughout his 9 seasons within the Black and Gold because of his rugged, rough-and-tumble model and was a key cog on the B’s groups that made journeys to the Stanley Cup ultimate in 1988 and 1990… A son of Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Lyndon grew to become a real Bostonian and we’ll miss him dearly. He’s ceaselessly part of our Bruins’ household.”
Andy Brickley, NESN analyst and former teammate of Byers, held his former teammate within the highest regard.
“LB was one among my all-time favourite teammates, for plenty of causes, for the safety he gave everybody on the ice, together with the high-end ability gamers. He was all the time a team-first participant and he completely liked being a Boston Bruin,” mentioned Brickley. “Each time I heard that LB was within the constructing within the alumni field, I made a degree of dashing down from the sales space in between durations to say hello, that’s how a lot I revered and admired what he did. He performed onerous and lived onerous and he did the whole lot he may to be knowledgeable hockey participant in Boston. And since he was so socially approachable off the ice, he would come into the locker room and regale us all with the tales of a life nicely lived.”
Throughout his profession with the Bruins, Brickley performed all through the lineup, typically on the highest line and typically down within the lineup with Byers.
“He made certain that we felt that our line as each bit as vital as some other line on the workforce,” mentioned Brickley.
Former teammate Bob Sweeney, now the President of the Boston Bruins Basis, visited Byers within the hospital lately. Very similar to Brickley, Sweeney remembered Byers as the last word standup man as a participant and individual, somebody who was all the time out there for charity work.
“Lots of people don’t understand this, however LB was a extremely expert participant in junior and was a second-round decide. However when he acquired to the NHL, he discovered a unique path. He had all of our backs. And he was a man who would do something for any of us,” mentioned Sweeney.
Byers, who had a post-playing profession in radio at WAAF, was identified for his gregarious character and humorousness. Brickley relayed a narrative from 1988 when Brickley was nonetheless a member of the New Jersey Devils. Brickley was on the ice preparing for a faceoff when then-Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld known as him off and changed him with robust man Dave Maley, who cozied up subsequent to Byers.
The predictable ensuing fisticuffs was one of many uncommon events that Byers absorbed a lopsided L.
On his option to the penalty field, Byers skated by the bench and yelled, “Why didn’t anybody inform me he was a lefty!”
“True story,” mentioned Sweeney with a chuckle. “He was yelling in any respect of us.”
Added Brickley: “However that was LB. He knew it was all a part of his job and also you win some, you lose some. And he may snicker about it.”
Preparations for a celebration of life can be made within the coming days.
