Barry Ashbee
Barry Ashbee | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Weston, Ontario, Canada | July 28, 1939||
Died |
May 12, 1977 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 37)||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for |
Boston Bruins Philadelphia Flyers | ||
Coached for | Philadelphia Flyers (assistant) | ||
Playing career | 1959–1974 | ||
Coaching career | 1974–1977 |
William Barry Ashbee (July 28, 1939 – May 12, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.
Playing career[]
Ashbee played his junior hockey with the Barrie Flyers in the Ontario Hockey Association, started his professional career by playing eight seasons with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, although he did play 14 games with the Boston Bruins of the NHL during the 1965–66 season. He became an NHL regular with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1970–71 season, and soon became one of their best defensemen. He was named to the NHL Second All-Star team and won a Stanley Cup with the team during the 1973–74 season, and had a +52 plus/minus rating during the regular season. However, his career also ended that year during the playoffs against the New York Rangers.
Eye injury[]
During the overtime of Game 4 of a 1974 Stanley Cup semifinal series, a slap shot by Dale Rolfe of the New York Rangers struck Ashbee in the right eye. He was removed from the ice on a stretcher and never played again. According to Ashbee's obituary in The New York Times, the vision in his injured eye was permanently reduced to 15 percent.[1]
Retirement and death[]
Ashbee became an assistant coach with the team the next season, though he initially declined the job because he thought it was offered to him just out of sympathy. During his first season as an assistant coach, the Flyers won their second straight Stanley Cup. Ashbee had his name added to the cup for a second time. Ashbee was told that he had leukemia in April 1977, and he died the next month.
His jersey number, 4, was retired by the Flyers on October 13, 1977[2][3] and the Barry Ashbee Trophy is now awarded each season to the best defenseman for the Flyers.
Awards[]
- NHL All-Star Second Team (1974)
- Stanley Cup Champions Player (1974), assistant coach (1975)
Career statistics[]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1956–57 | Barrie Flyers | OHA-Jr. | 34 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1957–58 | Lakeshore Bruins | MetJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1958–59 | Barrie Flyers | OHA-Jr. | 53 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 108 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | ||
1959–60 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 62 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1960–61 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 64 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 75 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
1961–62 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 35 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1962–63 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 72 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 94 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 34 | ||
1963–64 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 72 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 142 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
1964–65 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 66 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 114 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | ||
1965–66 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 36 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 100 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
1966–67 | Hershey Bears | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1967–68 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 65 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 86 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
1968–69 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 71 | 5 | 29 | 34 | 130 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | ||
1969–70 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 72 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 80 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | ||
1970–71 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 64 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1971–72 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1972–73 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 64 | 1 | 17 | 18 | 106 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 20 | ||
1973–74 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 69 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 52 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
AHL totals | 454 | 22 | 115 | 137 | 746 | 61 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 116 | ||||
NHL totals | 284 | 15 | 70 | 85 | 291 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 22 |
References[]
- ^ "BARRY ASHBEE DIES; PLAYED FOR FLYERS". The New York Times. May 13, 1977. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Flyers pay tribute to Barry Ashbee". AP. Calgary Herald. October 13, 1977. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Saleski Scores 2 Goals As Flyers Top Hawks". Milwaukee Sentinel. October 14, 1977. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- 1939 births
- 1977 deaths
- Barrie Flyers players
- Boston Bruins players
- Canadian ice hockey defencemen
- Deaths from leukemia
- Hershey Bears players
- Sportspeople from Toronto
- National Hockey League players with retired numbers
- Philadelphia Flyers coaches
- Philadelphia Flyers players
- Stanley Cup champions
- Ice hockey people from Ontario
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania