Marty Barry

Martin James Barry (December 8, 1905 – August 20, 1969) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Americans, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1927 and 1940. Barry was frequently among the league's leading scorers, and after winning his first Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1936, he scored the championship winning goal in 1937. Barry won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1936–37 as the NHL's most gentlemanly player and was named to the first All-Star team. Following his playing career, Barry coached junior and senior teams in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for many years. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965.

Playing career

Barry was born December 8, 1905, in Quebec City, Quebec, but grew up in Montreal and played amateur hockey for various teams in the city where he earned the nickname "goal-a-game Barry". Both the Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Maroons passed him over, so Barry signed with the New York Americans in 1927. He made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut in 1927–28 and scored one goal in nine games for New York. Barry spent the majority of the season in the Canadian-American Hockey League (Can-Am League) with the Philadelphia Arrows. He remained in the Can-Am League for the 1928–29 season where he was a member of the New Haven Eagles.

The Boston Bruins claimed Barry from the Americans in the Intra-League Draft in May 1929, and from that point he remained in the NHL. He missed only two games total in the following ten seasons. Barry scored three playoff goals to help Boston eliminate the Maroons in the semi-final, but Boston was defeated by the Canadiens in the 1930 Stanley Cup Final. led the team in goals for three consecutive seasons between 1931 and 1934 with 21, 24 and 27 respectively, and was the team's leading point scorer three times between 1932 and 1935. He was also among the league scoring leaders and finished seventh in the NHL with 37 points in 1932–33, fourth with 39 points in 1933–34 and eighth with 40 in 1934–35.

A disputed goal by Barry was the flashpoint in the first ever NHL forfeit on March 14, 1933. Barry scored a controversial overtime goal for Boston in a home game versus the Chicago Black Hawks. (At the time, NHL overtime for regular-season play consisted of a full 10-minute period.) An enraged Chicago coach, Tommy Gorman, punched referee Bill Stewart. Stewart summoned the police to remove Gorman from the visitors' bench. The Black Hawk players refused to continue the game without their coach. The game was forfeited to Boston shortly thereafter.

Barry was involved in a major trade prior to the 1935–36 season. With Detroit, Barry centred a high-scoring line with Herbie Lewis and Larry Aurie as his wings.

"The rink seemed like it was miles long about 10 minutes to 2 o'clock in the morning. Players of both teams were praying for somebody to score before we all fell from exhaustion." — —Barry describing what it felt like to play in the longest game in NHL history. Barry was a central figure for Detroit as the Red Wings repeated as champions in 1936–37. He finished third in regular season scoring with 44 points, He was named to the NHL's First All-Star team at centre and won the Lady Byng Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player. His tenure with Montreal was short-lived, however. After scoring only four goals and 14 points in 30 games, Barry played his final season of professional hockey in 1940–41 in the dual role of player-coach for the Minneapolis Millers of the American Hockey Association (AHA).

Personal life Barry coached the Millers for one more season in 1941–42. He then settled with his wife and three surviving children (one died shortly after childbirth) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Barry managed a grocery store in nearby Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He also coached the Halifax Crescents of the Maritime Senior League for a time. Barry's junior team won Maritime championships and reached the eastern final of the 1947 Memorial Cup. Barry died of a heart attack at his home on August 20, 1969.

National Hockey League Award Year Ref.Stanley Cup champion 1935–361936–37 First team All-Star 1936–37 Lady Byng TrophyMost gentlemanly player 1936–37