Paul Byron
Paul Byron | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | April 27, 1989||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
Position | Left wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Buffalo Sabres Calgary Flames Montreal Canadiens | ||
NHL draft |
179th overall, 2007 Buffalo Sabres | ||
Playing career | 2009–2022 |
James Paul Byron (born April 27, 1989) is a Canadian former professional
Playing career
Amateur
A native of
Professional
Buffalo Sabres (2009–11)
Byron signed a three-year contract with the Sabres on June 1, 2009, only a few hours before Buffalo would have lost his rights.[4] He was assigned to the Sabres's top minor league affiliate, the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the 2009–10 season. He played the entire season in Portland, scoring 33 points in 57 games, and spent the majority of the 2010–11 season there as well, improving to 53 points in 67 games.[1] Byron earned a recall to the NHL during the season and made his NHL debut on January 22, 2011. He scored his first NHL point, an assist on a Tyler Myers goal, in a 5–3 victory over the New York Islanders.[5] He scored his first goal two nights later in his hometown against the Ottawa Senators.[6]
Calgary Flames (2011–15)
A draft-day trade on June 25, 2011, sent Byron, along with Chris Butler, to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Robyn Regehr, Aleš Kotalík and a draft pick.[7] He spent the majority of the season with the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL, but earned several recalls to Calgary. On one such recall, he scored on his first career penalty shot in a 5–1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.[8] Byron's 2012–13 season was marred by injury as he missed over a month of play due to a shoulder injury.[9][10] He spent the majority of the season with Abbotsford, where he recorded 15 points in 38 games.[11] He was recalled to Calgary in mid February, but suffered a broken hand early in his first game of the season with the Flames.[9] He played an additional three games following his recovery and recorded an assist.[10]
After beginning the 2013–14 season in Abbotsford, the five-foot-nine Byron earned a regular spot in the Flames line-up by playing an aggressive style that impressed head coach Bob Hartley: "The size of the heart is much more important than the physical size. Here's a guy who plays like he's six-foot-two, six-foot-three. He's not avoiding traffic."[12]
Montreal Canadiens and retirement (2015–2023)
Following the
On September 22, 2018, Byron signed a four-year, 13.6 million-dollar contract extension with the Canadiens lasting until the 2022–23 season,[17] after having yet another 20-goal season with a struggling Canadiens team in the 2017–18 season. On October 1, after Shea Weber was named captain of the Canadiens, Byron was named an alternate captain, along with Brendan Gallagher.[18]
Byron began to play through hip pain for a number of years, culminating in having to take nine games off during the
Following the Finals, Byron opted to undergo left hip surgery, and missed the first half of the
On September 20, 2023, Byron officially announced his retirement, transitioning into a player development role in the Canadiens' front office.[27][28]
Personal life
Byron and his wife Sarah Leblond have a daughter and son together.[12]
Career statistics
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2005–06 | Ottawa West Golden Knights | EOJHL | 33 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | ||
2006–07 | Gatineau Olympiques | QMJHL
|
68 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 46 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||
2007–08 | Gatineau Olympiques | QMJHL | 52 | 37 | 31 | 68 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 12 | ||
2008–09 | Gatineau Olympiques | QMJHL | 64 | 33 | 66 | 99 | 32 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 4 | ||
2009–10 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 57 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2010–11 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 67 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 52 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | ||
2010–11 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011–12 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 39 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
2011–12 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 22 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 38 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 23 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 47 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 57 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2015–16 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 62 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2016–17 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 81 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
2017–18 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 56 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2019–20 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 29 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
2020–21 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 46 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | ||
2021–22 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 27 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 521 | 98 | 110 | 208 | 139 | 38 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 16 |
Awards and honours
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
QMJHL
| ||
Second All-Star Team | 2009 | [29] |
References
- Career statistics: "Paul Byron player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Paul Byron profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean; Ahrens, Janette; Buer, Greg (2011). 2011–12 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 116.
- ^ Holland, Brad (May 13, 2008). "Champions crowned throughout Junior A hockey". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ "Buffalo Sabres sign draft pick Paul Byron to entry-level deal". The Hockey News. June 1, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ Harrington, Mike (January 23, 2011). "Byron gets right to the point in debut". Buffalo News. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ "NHL capsules". National Hockey League. January 25, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ Lebrun, Pierre (June 25, 2011). "Flames trade Robyn Regehr". ESPN. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ Johnson, George (February 15, 2012). "Byron cool as ice on Calgary penalty shot". Calgary Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ a b Sportak, Randy (February 13, 2013). "Tough break for Flames' Byron". Calgary Sun. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ a b Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean; Thomas, Rob, eds. (2013). 2013–14 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Hockey Club. p. 53.
- ^ "Paul Byron player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ a b Cruickshank, Scott (December 23, 2013). "Byron grows into role with Flames". Calgary Herald. p. D1.
- ^ "Deadline for player filed salary arbitration today". flamesnation.ca. July 5, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ^ "Canadiens claim forward Paul Byron off waivers from Flames". National Hockey League. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ Engels, Eric (November 14, 2016). "Canadiens hot start fuelled by savvy buy-low moves - Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "Canadiens agree to terms on a three-year contract extension with forward Paul Byron". canadiens.com. February 23, 2016.
- ^ "Canadiens sign Paul Byron to 4-year contract extension". sportsnet.ca. September 23, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Share-Cohen, Brandon (October 1, 2018). "Weber Named Captain of Canadiens". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Basu, Arpon (February 18, 2022). "The reintroduction of joy into the Canadiens' hockey lives is important and should not be discounted". The Athletic. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Godin, Marc Antoine (October 5, 2022). "For Canadiens' Paul Byron, LTIR is becoming a real possibility". The Athletic. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ^ "Canadiens recall Arber Xhekaj, place Paul Byron on long-term injured reserve". Sportsnet. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ^ Greig, Kelly (April 14, 2023). "Habs looks to the future as disappointing season comes to an end". CTV News. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- ^ "Paul Byron announces retirement". NHL.com. Montreal Canadiens. September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Byron, Paul (September 20, 2023). "A letter from Paul Byron". Montreal Canadiens.
- ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database