Topic: Stu Barnes

Stuart Barnes (born December 25, 1970 in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada) is an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played 16 seasons at centre in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Dallas Stars.

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 (previously acquired from the St. Louis Blues; Chris Kibermanis) 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. 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 under a two-year contract.