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William Charles (Bill) Barber

NHL, the National Hockey League is a premier professional North American Sports League played in indoor stadiums. It’s divided into two conferences, each comprising of three divisions of ice hockey teams.

William Charles was born on 11 July 1952 Callander, Ontario, who played 12 NHL seasons from 1972 to 1984. He was inducted in the year 1990. 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. 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.

He scored 34 goals in each of the next two years, and 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. 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 backchecking in December 1982 in Pittsburgh.

He finished his career with 420 goals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990, one of the only three players from those Flyers teams so honored. He is remembered as a powerful skater with a lethal shot who back-checked responsibly and played the game cleanly. He, with all his dedication and devotion in his play has achieved many goals in his overall hockey-playing career. He had the ability of defeating the opponent easily by giving some extra hard work and efforts.

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