Stu Barnes


Stuart Douglas Barnes is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played 16 seasons at centre in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Dallas Stars. He currently has an arena named after him in the city of Spruce Grove, where he was born. Barnes was an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.

Playing career

Barnes was drafted fourth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. On November 25, 1993, the Jets traded him along with a sixth round selection in 1994 to the Florida Panthers for Randy Gilhen. In Florida, he went to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose to the Colorado Avalanche. Then on November 19, 1996, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Chris Wells to the Panthers for Barnes and Jason Woolley. The trade to the Penguins has been considered the worst in Panthers history.
In 1999, Barnes was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for Matthew Barnaby. In Buffalo, he went to the Finals again, this time against Dallas, only to lose on a triple-overtime goal by Brett Hull. He served as the captain for the Sabres before being traded to the Stars in 2003 for Michael Ryan and a second round draft pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. When Mike Modano was injured during the 2006–07 season, Barnes served as an alternate captain of the Stars. He also served as an alternate captain for most of the 2007–08 season due to Sergei Zubov's absence from the line-up.
Barnes announced his retirement as a player on August 28, 2008 and joined the Stars as an assistant coach for three seasons before becoming a hockey operations consultant.
Barnes left the Stars front office after the 2012–13 season, and went on to serve in a dual capacity as the Tri-City Americans co-owner in the Western Hockey League and as the head coach of the Okanagan Academy Prep hockey team.
In 2017, Barnes returned to the Dallas Stars organization as an assistant coach.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

Transactions