Tri-City’s Stu Barnes among Top 50 all-time WHL players
The Western Hockey League released the names of the first five of the Top 50 players of all-time Saturday, with former Tri-City American Stu Barnes coming in at No. 50.
“It really is an honor,” said Barnes, now a co-owner of the Americans. “It’s humbling. To be in the top 125, I was proud of that.”
Players making the Top 50 list will be revealed each Thursday until the top three players in WHL history are announced at the WHL Awards on May 4 in Calgary.
A panel of historians selected the top 125 players in WHL history last fall, and fans have been able to vote for the Top 50.
While Barnes came in at No. 50, Ray Whitney of the Spokane Chiefs was voted No. 49, Darcy Tucker of the Kamloops Blazers was No. 48, Duncan Keith of the Kelowna Rockets No. 47 and Cliff Ronning of the New Westminster Bruins No. 46.
“I’m honored to be part of that group,” Barnes said of the other four players announced. “All the teammates I have played with, and the guys I’ve played against in the WHL, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about being around these guys and the game all these years.”
Barnes was named the WHL’s Rookie of the Year during the 1997-88 season with the New Westminster Bruins. His 101 points (37g-64a) in 71 games that year were third among rookie players. The following season, the Bruins relocated to the Tri-Cities.
Barnes earned the Four Broncos Trophy during the 1988-89 season, scoring 144 points in 63 games. He finished career with 386 points in 204 regular-season games.
Barnes went on to have a long and success NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. He played 1,136 NHL games with 597 points (261 goals, 336 assists).
Whitney played three years with the Chiefs, scoring 348 points in 214 games. He helped Spokane win a Memorial Cup in 1991.
Tucker won three Memorial Cups in three years with the Blazers. In 223 games, he scored 379 points.
Keith is the surprise selection of the group. The defenseman played just 37 WHL games after coming out of Michigan State. In those games, he had 11 goals, 35 assists and helped the Rockets win the 2003 Memorial Cup.
Ronning played two years in the WHL, scoring 333 points in 141 games. He scored 197 points during the 1984-85 season in 70 games.
This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 10:46 PM with the headline "Tri-City’s Stu Barnes among Top 50 all-time WHL players."