Byron Bitz is a right wing in the National Hockey League who began his professional career in 2007 Bitz is a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan but unlike many Canadian players, he did not play junior hockey. Instead, he attended Cornell University and played with the Big Red for four seasons, serving as team captain his senior year.

He was taken by the Boston Bruins with the 107th overall pick in the 2003 NHL draft, but he elected to play college hockey rather than turn professional. Bitz remained the property of the Bruins and made his professional debut with Providence, Boston's affiliate in the American Hockey League, in 2007. He played in 61 games in his only season in Providence, recording 13 goals and 14 assists. Bitz made NHL debut on January 9, 2009, recording an assist against the Carolina Hurricanes. Just under a month later, on February 7, he scored his first NHL goal. At the NHL trade deadline on March 3, 2010, he was dealt to the Florida Panthers for Dennis Seidenberg and Matthew Bartkowski. At the time of the deal, Bitz had played in 80 career NHL games, recording eight goals and eight assists.http://bruins.nhl.com/

During the 2009-10 season, Bitz only played in 45 contests for the Bruins, registering four goals and five assists while skating on Boston's fourth line. However, at 6-5 and 215 pounds, Bitz provided a physical presence in the Bruins' lineup and played solid defense. Although he didn't score much, Bitz became popular with the Boston fans for his aggressive play. His last goal with the Bruins came in a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on December 30. He had two assists in a 7-2 win over Toronto on December 5. http://espn.go.com/nhl/players/ gamelog?playerId=3753

After getting called up to the Bruins midway through the 2008-09 season, Bitz became something off a cult hero in Boston because of his tenacious playing style. His grit and hustle earned him a regular spot in the lineup, Bitz had the first -- and only - two-goal game of his career in a 6-1 win over the Florida Panthers on February 24. Toward the end of the game, fans at the TD Bank North Garden began chanting "We want Bitz", begging coach Claude Julien to put Bitz back on the ice with just a minute left in regulation so that he could have a chance to score a hat trick. Julien obliged, but Bitz didn't come close to scoring again.http://www.hockeybuzz .com/blog.php?post_id=19609 Bitz scored his first career playoff goal in the seventh game of the Bruins' Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Carolina Hurricanes. His goal opened the scoring, but the Bruins lost, 3-2, in overtime.