Tyson Barrie

Tyson Barrie (born July 26, 1991) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and current Vancouver Canucks analyst for Sportsnet. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames. He was drafted by the Avalanche in the third round, 64th overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft.

Barrie was born on July 26, 1991, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, to parents Kristy and Len Barrie. His father Len is a former NHL player and Tampa Bay Lightning co-owner. He also has a sister named Victoria. As a result of his father's job, Barrie lived in Florida for a while growing up and interacted with many of the players, including former Panthers player Peter Worrell who would throw him into a laundry machine as a prank. Barrie began his minor hockey career in Long Beach, California and continued it when the family moved to Victoria.

Growing up, Barrie attended elementary school in Colwood, British Columbia while also playing in the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association (VIAHA) Midget A1 league with the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies Minor Hockey Association. He then began his major junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Kelowna Rockets towards the end of the 2006–07 season.

As a 16-year-old, Barrie began his rookie season with the Rockets in 2007–08. Barrie showed early potential as an offensive presence on the blueline, leading team defencemen with 9 goals, 34 assists, and 43 points. His debut season coincided with the club's resurgence from the bottom of the B.C. Division to second place with a seven-game series first-round playoff appearance in which he contributed with four points. At year's end, Barrie's impressive rookie season was recognized with a selection to the CHL All-Rookie Team.

Barrie improved upon his first full-season success to again lead all Rockets defencemen with 12 goals and 52 points in the 2008–09 regular season. He contributed 18 playoff points in 22 games, including scoring the championship-clinching overtime goal in game six against the Calgary Hitmen to help the Rockets capture the WHL's Ed Chynoweth Cup. Following a Memorial Cup appearance with the Rockets, he featured in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game.

In his first year of eligibility into the NHL, Barrie was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the third round, 64th overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft. Being returned to juniors by Colorado, Barrie was named an alternate captain for the Rockets for the 2009–10 season. He suffered an early injury in his third season, ruling him out of the line-up for a month before returning to score at over a point-per-game average to impressively co-lead all WHL defencemen in scoring with 72 points in 63 games. As a result, Barrie was selected to the WHL Western Conference First-All-Star Team, and the CHL Second All-Star Team and was awarded the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL's Defenceman of the Year.

On September 23, 2010, Barrie was announced as the Rockets' captain for the 2010–11 season. With the focus to improve his all-round game, Barrie dropped his offensive output from his previous season, however still led all Rockets defencemen in scoring with 58 points in 54 games. He was again selected to the Western Conference First All-Star Team and finished as the runner-up to fellow Avalanche draft pick Stefan Elliott in voting for the Bill Hunter Trophy. On March 25, 2011, Barrie signalled the end of his junior career after he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Colorado. He completed his tenure with the Kelowna Rockets to finish as the club's highest-scoring defenceman in history with 228 points in 256 games.

After attending his third Avalanche training camp, Barrie made his professional debut in the 2011–12 season, assigned to the Avalanche's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. As a defenceman, he impressively led the Monsters in scoring at the season's midpoint and was selected in the AHL All-Star Game, scoring a goal and helping the Western Conference to victory. Shortly after, on February 4, 2012, he received his first NHL call-up by the Avalanche. He made his NHL debut three days later on February 7 in a 5–2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Pepsi Center. He appeared in four games before he was returned to the Monsters. He was later recalled to finish the season with ten scoreless games for the Avalanche before he finished the season with the Monsters, leading the club in scoring with 32 points in 49 games.