Tyson Barrie

Lore & Background

Barrie began his major junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Kelowna Rockets towards the end of the 2006–07 season. As a 16-year-old in 2007–08, he led team defencemen with 9 goals, 34 assists, and 43 points, earning selection to the CHL All-Rookie Team. He improved to 12 goals and 52 points in 2008–09, scoring the championship-clinching overtime goal in game six against the Calgary Hitmen to help the Rockets capture the WHL's Ed Chynoweth Cup. After being drafted by Colorado, he was named an alternate captain for the 2009–10 season and co-led all WHL defencemen in scoring with 72 points in 63 games, winning the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL's Defenceman of the Year. He served as Rockets captain in 2010–11 and finished as the club's highest-scoring defenceman in history with 228 points in 256 games.

Barrie made his professional debut in the 2011–12 season with the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, leading the team in scoring at the season's midpoint and being selected for the AHL All-Star Game. He made his NHL debut on February 7, 2012, in a 5–2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored his first NHL goal on February 14, 2013, in a 6–5 victory over the Nashville Predators. In the 2013–14 season under head coach Patrick Roy, Barrie scored 13 goals, the highest total for an Avalanche defenceman since John-Michael Liles seven years prior, and his three overtime goals matched an Avalanche record. During the 2014 playoffs, he suffered a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) from a knee-on-knee hit by Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cooke and missed the remainder of the playoffs.

After signing a two-year contract worth $5.2 million in 2014, Barrie appeared in a career-high 80 games in 2014–15 and finished eighth among league defencemen with 53 points, becoming the fourth defenceman in Avalanche history to reach 50 points. He led all Colorado skaters in total ice time that season. In 2015–16, he led all Colorado defencemen in scoring with 13 goals and 49 points. As a restricted free agent, he elected for salary arbitration and later settled on a four-year, $22 million contract with Colorado on July 31, 2016. In the 2016–17 season opener, he scored his 12th career NHL game-winning goal to surpass Sandis Ozoliņš for the most game-winning goals by a defenceman in franchise history.

Reader's Guide

Tyson Barrie's significance lies in his offensive production as a defenceman, particularly during his tenure with the Colorado Avalanche. He was the first Avalanche rookie defenceman to score an overtime winner and became the franchise's career leader among defencemen in overtime goals. His 53-point season in 2014–15 placed him among elite company, as only Sandis Ozoliņš, Rob Blake, and Ray Bourque had previously reached 50 points as Avalanche defencemen. Barrie's 37 even-strength points that season tied a franchise record for defencemen held by Steve Duchesne of the Quebec Nordiques. He also led all Avalanche skaters in total ice time during that season. His legacy includes being the highest-scoring defenceman in Kelowna Rockets history with 228 points in 256 games. After his playing career, he transitioned to broadcasting as a Vancouver Canucks analyst for Sportsnet.

Did You Know?

• Barrie's father Len is a former NHL player and Tampa Bay Lightning co-owner.
• Barrie was the only player in the 2016 offseason to proceed through salary arbitration under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• He became the fourth defenceman in Avalanche history to reach 50 points in a season, after Sandis Ozoliņš, Rob Blake, and Ray Bourque.