Lyndon "LB" Byers obit

Lyndon "LB" Byers, former Boston Bruins enforcer and radio host, dies at 61

 

He was not on the list.

Former Boston Bruin and radio host Lyndon "LB" Byers has died, the team confirmed on Saturday. He was 61 years old.

Born in Saskatchewan, Byers was drafted by the Bruins in 1982 and played nine seasons with the team from 1983 to 1992. He then played one season with the San Jose Sharks before leaving the NHL in 1993. He finished his hockey career by playing more than two seasons in the now-defunct International Hockey League. During his NHL career, he amassed 24 points and 1,081 penalty minutes.

Byers was a key part of the 1980s Bruins machine that led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1988 and 1990. Byers became a fan favorite in the locker room and with fans for his quick wit and booming voice.

"Lyndon was a fan favorite across his nine seasons in the black and gold thanks to his rugged, rough-and-tumble style and was a key cog on the B's teams that made trips to the Stanley Cup final in 1988 and 1990," the Bruins said in a statement posted on Facebook, where they said they were "deeply saddened" by his death. "Lyndon became a true Bostonian and we will miss him dearly. He is forever a part of our Bruins family."

After retiring from hockey, Byers spent more than 20 years as a radio host on WAAF before quitting in 2019. He also made several appearances on the TV show "Rescue Me," starring Bruins fan and Worcester native Denis Leary, as well as cameos in the movies "Shallow Hal" and "Stuck On You."

Byers is survived by his wife, Annie, and son, Will. A cause of death was not given.

Byers played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for parts of ten seasons with the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks, earning a reputation as one of the league's toughest enforcers. He was the cousin of former NHL forward Dane Byers.

Born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Byers spent a year with the Notre Dame Hounds before beginning his major junior career in 1981 with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The following year, the Boston Bruins selected him with a second-round pick (39th overall) at the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. His gritty style earned him a spot with Team Canada at the 1984 World Junior Championships in Nyköping, Sweden. Byers showed promise by scoring 32 goals in each of the next two seasons with Regina, but it was his 153 and 154 penalty minutes in each of those seasons that would be a better measure of his future professional career.

Joining the Bruins at the end of the 1983–84 season, he scored two goals and four assists for six points while amassing 32 PIMs. Bouncing back and forth between the parent club and the minors, his best statistical season came in 1987–88, when he registered 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points while amassing 249 penalty minutes in 53 games.

Byers signed as a free-agent with the San Jose Sharks on November 7, 1992, where he finished his NHL career in 1992–93, before ending his professional playing career with the International Hockey League (IHL)'s Minnesota Moose in 1994–1995. He scored 28 goals and 43 assists for 71 points and amassed 1,081 PIMs in 279 NHL games over ten seasons.

Shortly after his playing career, Byers returned to the Boston area and became a member of the Hill Man Morning Show on radio station WAAF-FM, where he was an on-air personality and sports specialist for 23 years before the show ended. Byers moved to the afternoon slot along with co-host Mike Hsu. On September 3, 2019, Byers unexpectedly quit the Hsu & LB show in a tearful goodbye that he gave on the air seconds before walking out of the studio. WAAF closed up shop less than six months later. LB made an appearance on air on the last day of station broadcasting.

Byers made several appearances on the FX dramedy Rescue Me with well-known Bruins fan Denis Leary, as well as fellow former Bruins Cam Neely and Phil Esposito. He had a cameo appearance in the films Shallow Hal and Stuck On You as well. He was also featured on the Season One finale of Bar Rescue on Spike TV. Byers and Neely also appeared in the music video for the song "Hole Hearted" by Boston hard rock group Extreme.

Career statistics

                        Regular season                       Playoffs

Season Team   League GP       G         A         Pts       PIM     GP       G         A         Pts       PIM

1981–82          Notre Dame Hounds   SMHL 37        35        42        77        106      —        —        —        —            —

1981–82          Regina Pats     WHL   57        18        25        43        169      20        5          6          11        48

1982–83          Regina Pats     WHL   70        32        38        70        153      5          1          1          2          16

1983–84          Regina Pats     WHL   58        32        57        89        154      —        —        —        —        —

1983–84          Boston Bruins NHL    10        2          4          6          32        —        —        —        —        —

1984–85          Boston Bruins NHL    33        3          8          11        41        —        —        —        —        —

1984–85          Hershey Bears AHL    27        4          6          10        55        —        —        —        —        —

1985–86          Boston Bruins NHL    5          0          2          2          9          —        —        —        —        —

1985–86          Moncton Golden Flames         AHL    14        2          4          6          26        —        —        —            —        —

1985–86          Milwaukee Admirals   IHL     8          0          2          2          22        —        —        —        —            —

1986–87          Boston Bruins NHL    18        2          3          5          53        1          0          0          0          0

1986–87          Moncton Golden Flames         AHL    27        5          5          10        63        —        —        —            —        —

1987–88          Boston Bruins NHL    53        10        14        24        236      11        1          2          3          62

1987–88          Maine Mariners           AHL    2          0          1          1          18        —        —        —        —            —

1988–89          Boston Bruins NHL    49        0          4          4          218      2          0          0          0          0

1988–89          Maine Mariners           AHL    4          1          3          4          2          —        —        —        —            —

1989–90          Boston Bruins NHL    43        4          4          8          159      17        1          0          1          12

1990–91          Boston Bruins NHL    19        2          2          4          82        1          0          0          0          10

1991–92          Boston Bruins NHL    31        1          1          2          129      5          0          0          0          12

1991–92          Maine Mariners           AHL    11        5          4          9          47        —        —        —        —            —

1992–93          San Jose Sharks          NHL    18        4          1          5          122      —        —        —        —            —

1992–93          Kansas City Blades     IHL     4          1          1          2          22        —        —        —        —            —

1992–93          San Diego Gulls          IHL     9          0          3          3          35        —        —        —        —            —

1993–94          Las Vegas Thunder     IHL     31        3          5          8          176      1          0          0          0            4

1994–95          Minnesota Moose       IHL     7          1          0          1          16        —        —        —        —            —

NHL totals       279      28        43        71        1081    37        2          2          4          96

 

Actor

Denis Leary in Rescue Me (2004)

Rescue Me

8.3

TV Series

EspoRyan (as Lyndon L. Byers)

2004–2011

4 episodes

 

Oxy-Morons (2010)

Oxy-Morons

5.6

Superintendent

2010

 

Madso's War (2010)

Madso's War

3.9

TV Movie

Bouncer

2010

 

Freedom Park (2004)

Freedom Park

7.2

Tee Ball Coach

2004

 

Hench at Home (2003)

Hench at Home

5.8

TV Movie

Orillia Duke

2003

 

Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear in Stuck on You (2003)

Stuck on You

5.8

MV Hockey Player

2003

 

Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black in Shallow Hal (2001)

Shallow Hal

6.0

Punk #2

2001

 

Denis Leary in Monument Ave. (1998)

Monument Ave.

6.6

Fitzie

1998

 

Self

The Last Gladiators (2011)

The Last Gladiators

7.1

Self

2011

 

The Beanpot: Boston's Tournament

TV Special

Self - Host

2009