‘Never was in shape’: Dustin Byfuglien jokes ahead of potential return for Jets alumni game

The man affectionately known as “Big Buff” may soon be putting the skates back on again. But for Dustin Byfuglien, fishing is still the No. 1 priority in his life after the NHL.

The 41-year-old participated in the 2026 Kenora Bass International last week, finishing in the top 30. In an interview during the event, Byfuglien was asked if he would take part in the Winnipeg Jets’ alumni tournament this October.

“What one?” he jokingly said. When reminded that it was for the Jets, he said “I don’t know, I didn’t know there was one.”

The interviewer then told Byfuglien that Winnipeg fans think he’s coming.

“Well we’ll have to look into that … if I’m not shooting ducks,” he said.

He followed his tongue-in-cheek response by saying his family is excited to head back to Winnipeg for the event. Byfuglien last played in the NHL with the Jets in 2018-19.

When asked if he was in shape for a potential game, he didn’t hesitate in his response.

“Never was in shape.”

Byfuglien, who played both forward and defense throughout his 15-year NHL career, scored 177 goals and added 348 assists for 525 points and 1,094 penalty minutes in 869 career regular-season games with the Jets, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Thrashers.

He also recorded 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points in 66 career playoff games. He helped the Blackhawks win a Stanley Cup in 2010, where he scored 11 goals and added five assists for 16 points in just 22 games.

Byfuglien, an eighth-round pick for the Blackhawks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, also spent parts of three seasons in the AHL, where he recorded 26 goals and 48 assists for 74 points and 246 penalty minutes in 124 regular-season games.

In four seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League, the Roseau, Minn., native scored 48 goals and recorded 94 assists for 142 points and 399 penalty minutes in 189 career games with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars.