William Charles Barber (born July 11, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played twelve seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). As part of the famed LCB (Leach, Clarke, Barber) line, Barber helped lead the Flyers to the franchise's two Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. He is currently a scouting consultant with the Flyers.[1]
| Bill Barber | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1990 | |||||||||||||||||
 Barber in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||
| Born |
July 11, 1952 Callander, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left wing | ||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | ||||||||||||||||
| Played for | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||||||||||
| Coached for | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||||||||||
| National team |
 Canada | ||||||||||||||||
| NHL draft |
7th overall, 1972 Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1972–1984 | ||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1985–2002 | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Playing career
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Barber was drafted by the Flyers, seventh overall, in the first round of the 1972 draft. He was called up after 11 games in the AHL with the Richmond Robins. In his first season with the Flyers, Barber scored 30 goals and 34 assists and was a contender for the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year.
Barber was converted to left wing by coach Fred Shero. He scored at least 20 goals every season. His best season was 50 goals and 62 assists in the 1975–76 season. In the Flyers' successful 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs campaigns, Barber contributed three and six goals respectively. Barber also contributed another six goals in an unsuccessful 1976 playoff run. In addition to his respectable scoring abilities, Barber was also a well rounded player. On the power play he was equally valuable for setting up the play as he was for pulling the trigger, and if forced into a defensive role, he was capable.
In the 1976 Canada Cup, Barber scored one of his most famous goals while playing for Team Canada. Behind in the final against Czechoslovakia, Barber scored to send the game into overtime, and an eventual Team Canada victory.
He was a team leader for the next decade. In 1979–80, the Flyers had their record 35-game unbeaten streak, and Barber was in the centre of it all. He helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup finals in the spring of 1980 with a number of key playoffs goals against the NY Rangers and Minnesota North Stars.
Barber captained the Flyers in the 1981–82 season and part of 1982–83. As of the end of the 2012–13 season, he still holds the Flyers regular season career scoring record with 420 goals. He is tied for the lead for Flyers career playoffs goals with Rick MacLeish; both have 53 playoffs tallies.[2]
Barber was forced to retire as a player after the 1984–85 season after being unable to return from reconstructive knee surgery in the spring of 1984. The Flyers retired his number 7, on October 7, 1990, just after he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
On January 14, 2017, Barber played before a sold out crowd of over 19,000 at the Wells Fargo Center in the Flyers' 50th anniversary alumni game against the alumni of the Pittsburgh Penguins, playing alongside his longtime linemates, Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach. The game ended in a 3–3 tie.[3] Before the game, Barber announced that it would be his last alumni game.[4]
Coaching and executive career
editAfter his playing career, Barber started coaching. He coached the Hershey Bears for 16 games in 1985. He was the Flyers assistant coach between 1985 and 1988. He coached the Flyers farm team, the Phantoms, for four years, winning his and the team's first Calder Cup in 1998.[5] He was the Flyers' head coach from December 2000 until April 2002,[6][7][8][5] winning the Jack Adams Trophy after 2000–01.[9]
Barber was the director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning, a position he held from August 2002 to June 2008.[10][11] Barber's name was added to the Stanley Cup for a third time in 2004 with Tampa Bay. On October 13, 2008, he returned to the Flyers organization when he was named a scouting consultant.[1]
Personal life
editBarber and his late wife, Jenny, have two children. Jenny Barber died from lung cancer in 2001.[12]
On September 25, 2010, the Bill Barber Sports Complex was opened in his honour in his hometown, Callander, Ontario.[13]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | North Bay Trappers | NOJHA | 34 | 18 | 35 | 53 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | North Bay Trappers | NOJHA | 48 | 32 | 38 | 70 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA-Jr. | 54 | 37 | 49 | 86 | 42 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 22 | ||
| 1970–71 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA-Jr. | 61 | 46 | 59 | 105 | 129 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1971–72 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA-Jr. | 62 | 44 | 63 | 107 | 89 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1972–73 | Richmond Robins | AHL | 11 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1972–73 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 69 | 30 | 34 | 64 | 46 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 1973–74 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 75 | 34 | 35 | 69 | 54 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 18 | ||
| 1974–75 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 79 | 34 | 37 | 71 | 66 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 8 | ||
| 1975–76 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 80 | 50 | 62 | 112 | 104 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 18 | ||
| 1976–77 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 62 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1977–78 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 80 | 41 | 31 | 72 | 34 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1978–79 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 79 | 34 | 46 | 80 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 1979–80 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 79 | 40 | 32 | 72 | 17 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 23 | ||
| 1980–81 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 80 | 43 | 42 | 85 | 69 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 80 | 45 | 44 | 89 | 85 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 66 | 27 | 33 | 60 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1983–84 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 63 | 22 | 32 | 54 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 903 | 420 | 463 | 883 | 623 | 129 | 53 | 55 | 108 | 109 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Canada | CC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 1982 | Canada | WC | 10 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 10 | |
| Senior totals | 17 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 14 | |||
All-Star Games
edit| Year | Location | G | A | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Montreal | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1976 | Philadelphia | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1978 | Buffalo | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1980 | Detroit | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1981 | Los Angeles | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1982 | Washington | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| All-Star totals | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Coaching record
editNHL
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| PHI | 2000–01 | 54 | 31 | 13 | 7 | 3 | (100) | 2nd in Atlantic | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals |
| PHI | 2001–02 | 82 | 42 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 97 | 1st in Atlantic | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals |
| Total | 136 | 73 | 40 | 17 | 6 | ||||
AHL
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| HER | 1984–85 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 | (63) | 6th in South | Did not qualify |
| PHI | 1996–97 | 80 | 49 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 111 | 1st in Mid-Atlantic | Lost in Division Finals |
| PHI | 1997–98 | 80 | 47 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 106 | 1st in Mid-Atlantic | Won Calder Cup |
| PHI | 1998–99 | 80 | 47 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 105 | 1st in Mid-Atlantic | Lost in Conference Finals |
| PHI | 1999–00 | 80 | 44 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 93 | 3rd in Mid-Atlantic | Lost in Division Semifinals |
| Total | 336 | 193 | 101 | 38 | 9 | ||||
Awards
edit| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Calder Cup champion | 1998 |
| Class Guy Award (Philadelphia Flyers team award) | 1981 |
| Jack Adams Award | 2001 |
| NHL first All-Star team | 1976 |
| NHL second All-Star team | 1979, 1981 |
| Stanley Cup champion | 1974, 1975, 2004 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "News: Bill Barber Named as Scouting Consultant". Philadelphia Flyers. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
- ^ "NHL Stats".
- ^ Breen, Matt (January 15, 2017). "Alumni game marks a farewell of sorts for Flyers' Bob Clarke". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ^ Carchidi, Sam (January 12, 2017). "Clarke, Barber say alumni game will be their last". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ^ a b "Flyers fire coach Barber". cbc.ca. April 30, 2002. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Maadi, Rob (December 10, 2000). "Flyers fire Ramsay; promote Barber". New Bedford Standard-Times. Associated Press. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (December 11, 2000). "Flyers Fire Ramsay, Then Win for Barber". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Kellner, Jenny (December 11, 2000). "HOCKEY; Flyers Fire Their Coach Before Beating the Isles". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Gilbertson, Wes (May 3, 2016). "Bob Hartley not first Jack Adams Award winner to be fired soon after". Calgary Herald. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ "Barber becomes Lightning exec - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Lightning Director of Player Personnel Bill Barber Resigns". NHL.com. June 25, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Rosenbloom, Steve (December 11, 2001). "Flyers coach Barber copes with wife's death". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ "Anthony Rota on Bill Barber Sports Complex | openparliament.ca".
External links
edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database