Bill Barber's sheer physical strength was one of his most important attributes. In junior, he centered a line with Jerry Byers and Al Blanchard in Kitchener and this trio was among the top scoring lines. All three were drafted high in the 1972 Amateur Draft. Barber was selected seventh overall by Philadelphia and was the only one of the three who went on to make a significant impact in the NHL.

 Initially he was assigned to Richmond of the AHL by the Flyers, but after just 11 games he was recalled when Bill Flett sprained his knee. Barber was among the top rookies all year, finishing the season with 30 goals and placing second in voting for the Calder Trophy to Steve Vickers of the Rangers.

     Part of his immediate success was in coach Shero's decision to play Barber as a left wing to Bobby Clarke on the first line rather than keep him at his natural center position on a fourth line. Clarke quickly realized Barber had an excellent shot and good hands and endeavored to get the puck to the port side whenever possible.

     He scored 34 goals in each of the next two years, then exploded for a career year in 1975-76 by scoring 50 and getting 112 total points. Along the way, and not coincidentally, the Flyers were winning the Stanley Cup. They became the first expansion team to win in 1974 and took home the sacred silverware again the next year. But the wins were controversial and weren't as admired as previous Cup wins had been.

     Barber had four more 40-goal seasons during his career, but the continuing deterioration of his left knee forced him to retire and he was unable to finish the 1983-84 season. He first injured the knee crashing into the boards while back checking in December 1982 in Pittsburgh. He recovered after missing a few games, but the same knee gave out on him again later in the season. By the spring he required surgery, and once the knee was opened doctors discovered massive damage to the joints and cartilage that had been masked for years by strong muscle mass around the bone. It was completely reconstructed and he missed the entire 1984-85 season trying to recover. After the year was over, he knew he would never be strong enough to endure the physical demands of the NHL. He went into coaching, starting with the Flyers farm team and assuming head coaching of the NHL team during the 2000-01 season.

     He finished his career with 420 goals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990, one of only three players from those Flyers teams - Bernie Parent and Bobby Clarke were the others - so honored.

REGULAR SEASON Season Club League GP G A TP 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 1970-71 Kitchener Rangers OHA-Jr. 61 46 59 105 129 1971-72 Kitchener Rangers OMJHL 62 44 63 107 89 1972-73 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 69 30 34 64 46 1972-73 Richmond Robins AHL 11 9 5 14 4 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 75 34 35 69 54 1974-75 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 79 34 37 71 66 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 50 62 112 104 1976-77 Canada Can-Cup 7 2 0 2 4 1976-77 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 73 20 35 55 62 1977-78 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 41 31 72 34 1978-79 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 79 34 46 80 22 1978-79 NHL All-Stars Ch-Cup 3 0 1 1 0 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 79 40 32 72 17 1980-81 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 43 42 85 69 1981-82 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 45 44 89 85 1981-82 Canada WEC-A 10 8 1 9 10 1982-83 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 66 27 33 60 28 1983-84 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 63 22 32 54 36 1984-1985 Hershey Bears AHL           1985-1988 Philadelphia Flyers NHLMGNT           1988-1995 Philadelphia Flyers NHLMGNT           1995-1996 Hershey Bears AHL           1996-2000 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL           2000-2001 Philadelphia Flyers NHL           2000-2001 Philadelphia Flyers NHL           2002-2003 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL           NHL Totals 903 420 463 883 623

source: Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum