Barry Ashbee

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 between 1965 and 1974. His career ended prematurely due to an eye injury during a game, which partially blinded him. Ashbee later died of leukemia in 1977.

Barry Ashbee
Born (1939-07-28)July 28, 1939
Weston, Ontario, Canada
Died May 12, 1977(1977-05-12) (aged 37)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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

Playing career

Ashbee started his junior hockey with the Barrie Flyers in the Ontario Hockey Association in 1956, although he spent one season with the Lakeshore Bruins in the Metro Junior B Hockey League for further development in 1957–58.[1] He 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 made his NHL debut on November 25, 1965 against the New York Rangers.[2] Ashbee missed considerable time due to injuries, including the entire 1966–67 season following surgery to fix a crushed disk in his back, and when the NHL expanded in 1967, he was left unprotected for the expansion draft, and subsequently rejoined the minor league Hershey Bears.[2]

He became an NHL regular with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1970–71 season, and soon became one of their best defensemen. Ashbee was also known as a physical player, and during a game on January 3, 1973 punched a referee after receiving a penalty, and was given an eight-game suspension, the most since Maurice Richard's suspension in 1955.[3] 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

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. He was removed from the ice on a stretcher.[4] According to Ashbee's obituary in The New York Times, the vision in his injured eye was permanently reduced to 15 percent.[5] With such limited vision Ashbee was unable to continue playing, so he announced his retirement on June 4, 1974.[6][7]

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 out of sympathy.[6] In this role, he worked primarily with the team's defencemen. 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.[8] Though it was caught quickly, the cancer spread fast, and Ashbee died on May 12, 1977.[8] He was buried at Glendale Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Weston, Ontario, his hometown.[9]

His jersey number, 4, was retired by the Flyers on October 13, 1977[10][11] and the Barry Ashbee Trophy is now awarded each season to the best defenseman for the Flyers.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1956–57 Barrie Flyers OHA 3404423 30000
1957–58 Lakeshore Bruins MetJHL ————— —————
1958–59 Barrie Flyers OHA 5382230108 603312
1959–60 Kingston Frontenacs EPHL 622111372 —————
1960–61 Kingston Frontenacs EPHL 644111575 500014
1961–62 Kingston Frontenacs EPHL 3527987 —————
1962–63 Hershey Bears AHL 720171794 1502234
1963–64 Hershey Bears AHL 72369142 600012
1964–65 Hershey Bears AHL 6631316114 1400022
1965–66 Boston Bruins NHL 1403314 —————
1965–66 Hershey Bears AHL 3611011100 30006
1967–68 Hershey Bears AHL 655152086 50114
1968–69 Hershey Bears AHL 7152934130 1125714
1969–70 Hershey Bears AHL 725253080 701124
1970–71 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 644232744 —————
1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 736142075 —————
1972–73 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 6411718106 1104420
1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 694131752 60002
AHL totals 45422115137746 612911116
NHL totals 284157085291 1704422

Awards and honors
  • NHL All-Star Second Team (1974)
  • Stanley Cup Champions Player (1974), assistant coach (1975)
  • Number retired by the Philadelphia Flyers (4)

References
  1. Feige 2011, p. 9
  2. Feige 2011, p. 10
  3. Feige 2011, p. 11
  4. Feige 2011, p. 13
  5. "BARRY ASHBEE DIES; PLAYED FOR FLYERS". The New York Times. May 13, 1977. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  6. Feige 2011, p. 14
  7. "Eye Injury Forces Ashbee of Flyers to Retire at 34". The New York Times. 5 June 1974. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. Feige 2011, p. 15
  9. Feige 2011, p. 17
  10. "Flyers pay tribute to Barry Ashbee". AP. Calgary Herald. October 13, 1977. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  11. "Saleski Scores 2 Goals As Flyers Top Hawks". Milwaukee Sentinel. October 14, 1977. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2013.

Bibliography
  • Feige, Timothy (2011), Hockey's Greatest Tragedies: The Broken Heroes of the Fastest Game on Earth, London: Arcturus Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84837-742-4
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