Aug. 14 -- The Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday named Bill Barber, the coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for the past two seasons, their director of player personnel.
In his first season behind the bench in Philadelphia, Barber won the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. However, he was fired after the Flyers lost to the Ottawa Senators in the first round of last season's playoffs.
In Tampa, he will be reunited with Lightning General Manager Jay Feaster, who served in the same capacity for the AHL Hershey Bears when Barber was a scout for the Flyers.
"During the six years that Jay and I worked together through the affiliation between Hershey and the Flyers, I developed a great respect for him and his work ethic, and I am a very lucky man to be able to work with him again," Barber said. "We developed a great relationship during that time and we continue to maintain a great relationship today."
Barber, a member of Philadelphia's two Stanley Cup championship teams, served the Flyers in a number of capacities. He was director of pro scouting for eight years, then spent four seasons as coach of the Philadelphia Phantoms, leading them to the AHL's Calder Cup title in 1998.
"When we began this process, I indicated I wanted someone who had played the game at the NHL level, coached the game at the professional level, scouted at the professional level, and had the depth of knowledge and experience that would be vital to me and our organization," said Feaster. "We have hired a true legend in the game."
Barber will provide input on all personal decisions, including final roster choices, potential trades, waiver and free agent acquisitions and player development in the organization. He will work with Rick Paterson and Craig Muni, both former NHL players, in the Lightning's scouting department.
"He (Barber) will be a tremendous resource for all of us in the organization," Feaster said.
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