by The uppercut of Lyndon Byers was unrivaled.
Bob Sweeney said, “Oh my gosh,” on Tuesday. On our squad, everyone used to discuss it, and I’m sure his opponents did too. He was capable of throwing them with the best of them.
Byers, the former winger for the Boston Bruins who had lightning fists and a sharp sense of humor, passed away last Saturday. Annie, Byers’s wife, sent a social media message confirming his death but withholding the cause of death.
Born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Byers spent nine seasons in Boston, playing 261 games. Shortly after the team selected him in the second round of the 1982 NHL Draft, he rose to fame as a cult hero and fan favorite.
Byers was a great scorer in his junior years, scoring 32 goals in consecutive seasons with the WHL’s Regina Pats. He developed into a dynamic enforcer in the NHL. In other words, during 1987–1990, he played in 145 games and accrued 613 penalty minutes.
Sweeney, a 1982 Bruins draft pick and current president of the Boston Bruins Foundation, stated, “I think people don’t realize that LB was a talented offensive player coming out of junior hockey, but he could also take care of himself.”
Byers was a vibrant individual who blended in well with the gritty Bruins teams of the late 1980s, which featured Cam Neely, the league’s top power forward, along with big hitters Jay Miller and Nevin Markwart.
Byers played on two Stanley Cup Final teams and was a part of the 1988 squad that ended the Canadiens’ 45-year postseason monopoly on the Bruins.
Byers took on every client, and his close friend and current franchise president Neely valued his fellow right-winger’s mindset.
One of the things about LB is that he most likely thought, “I might have to fight today,” before every game. And as an athlete or hockey player, that is a different mindset to have. “Wow, I might have to fight,” it says. And that was undoubtedly the case when you went to Philadelphia and saw how upset he was, knowing it was likely to happen. According to Neely, it happened frequently enough in different buildings, but especially in Philadelphia. Just know that he’s got your back, though. You knew he had your back whenever he was in the lineup. Everyone on the squad, regardless of their position, thought, “Okay, we have someone who has our back,” and that someone was LB.
Byers understood when to drop the gloves, but he also knew when to make a joke to lighten the mood among his colleagues, according to Neely.
The man was adept at reading the room.
He cherished having fun. Without a doubt. It’s funny, man. But since I spent ten years of my life in Saskatchewan, I can say with affection that you’re a little bit of a different breed. Those boys from Saskatchewan are different, then. It’s a fascinating way to mature. According to Neely, hockey has a significant role. Through LB, I’ve met a number of wonderful folks from Saskatchewan who played the game. However, he had a sense of humor and knew when to use it to lighten the mood in the room. He performed that task quite well. He knew when to tighten it and when to release it, perhaps a bit too much at times.
Later, Byers spent almost 25 years as a radio broadcaster at WAAF, frequently entertaining audiences with stories from his playing days.
Neither Sweeney nor Neely was startled by this second career.
In a way, that was intended for him. He wasn’t timid. “The best thing about spending time with LB is that I can just sit in the corner and watch the show while he does his thing,” Neely said. He was aware that it was all about entertainment, and he was skilled at providing amusement both on and off the rink.
Byers was known for beginning statements with “not for nothing,” but Sweeney liked that he never took himself too seriously on the air.
Sweeney claimed that every time he did the Sports Minute, his listeners would call in and say, “LB, that’s the NBA, not the WNBA, or whatever it was,” after he made a mistake or whatever. He would respond, “Yeah, whatever, kid.” Man, get over it.
Neely stated that seeing Byers on January 20, 2024, at TD Garden at the New Blood, New Beginnings Centennial Era Night will be a memory that he will never forget.
In retrospect, I believe it must have meant the world to him to be able to experience that with his wife and [son] Will in the building, and to be on the ice and be greeted by the fans as he did, since they undoubtedly enjoyed his style of play as a Bruin, Neely said. He had been playing for a long time before he had his son. Therefore, I believe it was really significant for LB for his son to realize what he meant to Bruins fans.
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