Press
Release
June 15, 2001
Comcast Spectacor
BARBER WINS JACK ADAMS AWARD
Flyers bench leader
distinguished as top NHL coach
Bill Barber joined the likes of Fred Shero, Pat
Quinn and Mike Keenan as Philadelphia Flyers head coaches winning the
Jack Adams Award, presented "to the NHL coach adjudged to have
contributed the most to his team’s success." Barber received the
high honor on Thursday night at the 2001 NHL Awards Show held in
Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. Other winners on Thursday included Joe
Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche (Hart - most valuable player and Lady
Byng Memorial Trophies - sportsmanship), Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit
Red Wings (James Norris Memorial Trophy - best defenseman), Dominik
Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres (Vezina Trophy - top goaltender), John
Madden of the New Jersey Devils (Frank J. Selke Trophy - top defensive
forward) and Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks (Calder Memorial
Trophy - rookie of the year).
“I just kind of got hooked,” Barber said of his
starting in coaching after capturing the award. “I found that the
closest area to get to (playing) is to be a coach and stand behind the
bench. I really enjoyed working with young kids and, hopefully, passing
on some knowledge that’s beneficial to them.”
The first-year head coach of the Flyers led his
team to an impressive 31-13-7-3 record after being promoted on December
10 to the head coaching position on a club that stood at 12-12-3-0. An
underachieving squad, the Flyers immediately took to Barber’s
no-nonsense approach and put themselves right into contention despite
the rash of injuries that hit the team throughout the season. Barber
preached the team game, how one player was never bigger than the team.
He relayed experience from his own Hall-of-Fame career to the team and
taught them to never give or stop fighting. Barber again preached about
the team concept on Thursday.
“I don’t look at it (the award) as an
individual as much as the team aspect to it,” the ever-humble Barber
said of his nomination before the awards ceremony on Thursday. “It is
a team thing, it doesn’t get done by one individual. It’s a lot of
hard work.”
During Barber’s 12-year playing career, he was a
part of the two Stanley Cup-winning Flyers teams in the 1970s, teams
coached by Shero. He was one of many who Barber thanked for this award.
“He (Shero) gave me the opportunity to play and
put me with players that helped complement what I needed to get done to
make the team,” Barber said of his former coach. “I’ll never
forget that.”
Another coach that Barber drew from was former
Flyers and current Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Pat Quinn, who he
played for from 1978 through 1982. Quinn led the 1979-80 team on a
record 35-game unbeaten streak and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals.
“I admired him for the job that he did, for the
communication that he kept open, and the patience and tolerance of us
older guys,” Barber said. “He is another coach that sticks in the
back of my mind.”
Barber is the third major head coach in the City of
Philadelphia to win his respective sport’s Coach of the Year honor
this year, following the Eagles’ Andy Reid and the 76ers’ Larry
Brown.
“I think that it’s great for the city,”
Barber said. “I guess our next step as pro teams in the City of
Philadelphia is to try to bring home a championship. That’s the
ultimate goal that I set in my mind.”
Even with his name etched on a trophy with
Cup-winning coaches like Scotty Bowman, Glen Sather and Al Arbour,
Barber is only beginning to write it into the books of NHL coaching.
With a team-first mentality, an eye towards next season, and a strong
appreciation for the history of this League, Head Coach Bill Barber
pilots a plane where the sky is the limit.
