Personal Life
Byfuglien was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Cheryl Byfuglien and father Ricky Spencer. His mother is of Norwegian descent, and his father is African American. Cheryl moved to Roseau, Minnesota, with Dustin to be closer to her family while Ricky stayed in Minneapolis to continue college; the two never wed. In Roseau, Byfuglien was exposed to the game of hockey where he found an instant love for the sport, which soon turned into a calling. Byfuglien's stepfather, Dale Smedsmo, played four games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1972, and 110 games in the World Hockey Association. Byfuglien has three half-siblings on his father's side.
Due to academic ineligibility in Roseau, Byfuglien first moved to Warrenville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, to play AAA under-18 hockey for the Chicago Mission then moved to Canada in hopes of not ruining any chance he could possibly have at playing hockey. In Canada, he played major junior hockey for both the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars of the WHL. Byfuglien was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2003.
Byfuglien is an avid fisherman, and competed in the 2011 Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship on Rainy Lake.
On August 31, 2011, Byfuglien was arrested on Lake Minnetonka and booked on suspicion of boating while intoxicated. Byfuglien pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to two days of community service on July 23, 2012.
Byfuglien and his long-time girlfriend, Emily Hendry, welcomed their first child, Kira Rae Byfuglien, on December 28, 2011.
Byfuglien has appeared in a video supporting You Can Play, a campaign dedicated to fighting homophobia in sports.
Read more about this topic: Dustin Byfuglien
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