Martin James "Goal-a-Game" Barry (December 8, 1905 – August 20, 1969) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who played for the

New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) between 1927 and 1940. Barry was frequently among the league's leading scorers, and after winning his first

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

with the Red Wings in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

, he scored the championship winning goal in

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

. Barry won the

Lady Byng Trophy The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, formerly known as the Lady Byng Trophy, is presented each year to the National Hockey League "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of ...

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 Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

for many years. He was inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

in 1965.

Playing career

Barry was born December 8, 1905 in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

but grew up in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and played amateur hockey for various teams in the city where he earned the nickname "goal-a-game Barry". Both the

and Montreal Maroons passed him over, so Barry signed with the

in 1927. He made his

(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 The Philadelphia Arrows were a professional ice hockey team that played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1927, the club was Philadelphia's first professional hockey team and played in the Canadian-American Hockey League. The team changed ...

. He remained in the Can-Am League for the 1928–29 season where he was a member of the New Haven Eagles. Barry led the league in both goals, 19, and points, 29. Barry battled Art Chapman for the scoring title, which he ultimately won on the final day of the season. The

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 recorded 18 goals and 33 points in 1929–30 for a Bruins team that set an NHL record with 38 wins in a 44-game season. Barry scored three playoff goals to help Boston eliminate the Maroons in the semi-final, but Boston was defeated by the Canadiens in the

Final. Barry rapidly developed into one of Boston's top offensive threats; he averaged 23 goals per season in his six years with the team. The Bruins named him team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1933, 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. The Bruins sent Barry and

Art Giroux Arthur Joseph Giroux (June 6, 1908 – June 5, 1982) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins between 1932 and 1936. ...

to the

on June 30, 1935, in exchange for

Cooney Weiland Ralph "Cooney" Weiland (November 5, 1904 – July 3, 1985) was a Canadian ice hockey forward who played for the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Weiland was part of the Bruins' 1928 "Dy ...

and Walt Buswell. With Detroit, Barry centred a high-scoring

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

with

Herbie Lewis Herbie Lewis (February 17, 1941 – May 18, 2007) was an American jazz double bassist. He played or recorded with Cannonball Adderley, Stanley Turrentine, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Harold Land, Jackie McLean, Archie Shepp, Tete Mo ...

and

Larry Aurie Lawrence Henry "Little Dempsey" Aurie (February 8, 1905 – December 11, 1952) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Cougars, Detroit Falcons and Detroit Red Wing ...

as his wings. Barry finished third in the NHL with 21 goals and second with 40 points. In the opening game of the playoffs, Barry played in the longest game in NHL history, a 1–0 victory over the Montreal Maroons that required six overtime periods to determine a winner. The Red Wings defeated the Maroons in the playoff semi-final before defeating the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in the 1936 Stanley Cup Final to claim Detroit's first NHL championship. Barry scored a goal in the clinching game, a 3–2 Detroit victory. 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, then led all players in goals (4), assists (7) and points (11) in the playoffs. In the clinching victory over the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

in the 1937 Stanley Cup Final, Barry scored twice – including the Cup-clinching goal – and added an assist in a 3–0 victory. He was named to the NHL's First All-Star team at centre and won the

as the league's most gentlemanly player. After a 1937–38 season in which Barry scored only nine goals, he returned to the NHL leader board by finishing fourth with 41 points in 1938–39. The Red Wings spent several months attempting to trade the 34-year-old Barry to the Canadiens. When Montreal feigned a lack of interest, Detroit eventually granted him his outright release and made him a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

shortly before the 1939–40 season began. Two days after his release, the Canadiens signed Barry to a contract. His tenure with Montreal was short-lived, however. After scoring only four goals and 14 points in 30 games, Montreal released Barry from his contract. He signed on with the

Pittsburgh Hornets The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...

of the International-American Hockey League (IAHL) to complete the year. Barry played his final season of professional hockey in 1940–41 in the dual role of player-coach for the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

of the American Hockey Association (AHA). Barry retired with 195 goals and 387 points in 509 NHL games. He was regarded as one of the league's best playmakers during his career and possessed a good scoring touch in-close around the net. Barry was inducted into the

in 1965.

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,

. Barry managed a grocery store in nearby

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Dartmouth ( ) is an urban community and former city located in the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada. Dartmouth is located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes, after the larg ...

. Remaining active in hockey, Barry coached the St. Mary's Juniors in Halifax for many years throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s. 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 The 1947 Memorial Cup final was the 29th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eas ...

. Hoping to raise the quality of competition for his team, Barry convinced teams from as far away as Montreal to play in Halifax and exposed his players to professional scouts. In recognition of his contributions, he was an original inductee of the

Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame was established in 1964, to honor outstanding athletes, teams and sport builders in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The facilities are located at the World Trade and Convention Centre in the provincial c ...

when it opened in 1964. Barry died of a heart attack at his home on August 20, 1969.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Champion.

Awards and honours

References

*''Career statistics''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Marty 1905 births 1969 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey centres Detroit Red Wings players Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame inductees Ice hockey people from Montreal Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners Montreal Canadiens players New York Americans players Pittsburgh Hornets players Sportspeople from Quebec City Stanley Cup champions Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States