Barry Ashbee

Did You Know?

• On April 28, 1974, during overtime of Game 4 of a Stanley Cup semifinal series, a slap shot by Dale Rolfe of the New York Rangers struck Ashbee in the right eye.
• The vision in his injured eye was permanently reduced to 15 percent.
• He announced his retirement on June 4, 1974.

Playing career

Barry Ashbee’s hockey journey began in 1956 with the Barrie Flyers of the Ontario Hockey Association. He spent the 1957–58 season with the Lakeshore Bruins in the Metro Junior B Hockey League to sharpen his skills before turning pro. His professional career started with the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League, where he played eight seasons, though he did get a brief taste of the NHL with the Boston Bruins in 1965–66, appearing in 14 games. He made his NHL debut on November 25, 1965, against the New York Rangers. Injuries plagued him, costing him the entire 1966–67 season after back surgery for a crushed disk. When the NHL expanded in 1967, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and returned to the minor league Bears. Ashbee finally became an NHL regular with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1970–71, quickly rising to become one of their top defensemen. Known for his physical style, he punched a referee after a penalty on January 3, 1973, drawing an eight-game suspension—the longest since Maurice Richard’s in 1955. He earned a spot on the NHL Second All-Star Team and helped the Flyers win the Stanley Cup in 1973–74, finishing the regular season with a plus/minus of +52. His playing career ended that same year during the playoffs against the New York Rangers.