After what can only be described as a disappointing 2016-17 National Hockey League season, Tyson Barrie is looking forward to donning the Maple Leaf for Team sa国际传媒 at the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championship in France and Germany.
Barrie, of Langford, will be attending his second world championship along with three other members of the Colorado Avalanche. They experienced a horrendous year, finishing dead last in the NHL with a 22-56-4 record for 48 points, 21 points behind the second-worst Vancouver Canucks.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be fun,鈥� said Barrie, who won a world championship two years ago when it was in Prague. 鈥淚 was hoping to be contacted, so when they did I was happy to say yes and go. It鈥檚 a great experience once you get over there and you meet a lot of good guys, too, so I鈥檓 really looking forward to it.鈥�
The Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey product will attend with Avalanche teammates, forwards Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, and goalie Calvin Pickard.
鈥淚t was definitely a frustrating year,鈥� Barrie said of the season in Denver. 鈥淲e expected a lot more out of our group and I think a lot of guys expected more out of themselves, personally. It was disappointing for me and the team. We鈥檙e looking forward to having a good summer and getting back at it and put this one behind us.
鈥淚鈥檓 feeling good and excited to go over to Paris and play some good hockey and get some positives out of the year.鈥�
sa国际传媒鈥檚 side of tournament takes place in France, with the medal games in Cologne, Germany, where Barrie鈥檚 dad, Len, played a few seasons.
鈥淚 made a trip to Cologne to watch him play. I don鈥檛 remember it. That鈥檚 what my mom tells me, anyway,鈥� Barrie, now 25, said with a chuckle.
His and the Avalanche season was hardly anything to laugh about, however, as they started .500 for the first 20 games and spiraled out of control.
Personally, Barrie finished with seven goals and 31 assists in 74 games played, down from 13 goals and 36 helpers in 78 games the year previous. His best season came in 2014-15 in which he had 12 goals and 41 assists in 80 games in Denver.
鈥淭hey were down and I think everyone鈥檚 were,鈥� he said of the stats. 鈥淎s a top guy on the team you always want to lead the team and produce as best you can, so it was disappointing taking a step back. I鈥檓 looking forward to putting it behind me and taking the next step for next year and get back to where I was.鈥�
His ice time did go up, but his plus-minus was minus-34, by far the worst of six seasons for the offensive defenceman, who played his junior hockey for the Victoria Grizzlies of the sa国际传媒 Hockey League and Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League.
鈥淭he ice went up, which is always nice. You want to take on the challenge. We were missing Erik Johnson for most the better half of the year so I got to play a lot of minutes against the top guys in the league,鈥� said Barrie.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good challenge. There are great players in this league and it鈥檚 a challenge to try and shut them down every night.鈥�
Barrie just recently returned to Denver from vacation in Arizona to prepare for worlds, which begin play with sa国际传媒 facing Czech Republic on May 5 after a pre-tournament date May 2 against Switzerland in Geneva. The semifinals in Cologne go May 20 and medal games follow the next day.
Barrie will then return to Denver before heading to Victoria for July and August.
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