Lionel Barber was often the last player to leave the dressing room. His Barrie Flyers had just played in St. Catharines and as the 18-year old left the arena and headed to the bus that would take the team back to Barrie he noticed the police officer standing near the front of the bus. The officer called out, “Are you young Barber? He acknowledged the policeman and then listened as the officer said, “I’ve got some bad news for you son. Your father has died.”
62 year old Frederick Barber had been lying on his bed, listening to his son’s game on the radio, when he felt a jarring pain go through his chest. It was over in seconds. The elder Barber had suffered a massive heart attack.
Frederick and Winnifred Barber had immigrated to Canada from England. They had nine children, five boys and four girls. Born in 1931, Lionel was the only boy who did not serve in the Second World War, because he was only eight years old when the war broke out. Fortunately, his brothers survived the war, but they had some close calls that left Lionel’s mother always in a state of worry.
As a boy, Barber was active. He started to play hockey and golf at a young age. He became very good at both sports and by the time he was ready to move to Barrie to play junior hockey, the Toronto Maple Leafs had already signed him to a “C” card, essentially securing his rights should he blossom into a National Hockey League caliber player.
He never made it to the NHL, but Barber did play against some of the best players in the world, players like Alex Delvecchio and Jean Beliveau who were both junior stars before turning professional. It was Beliveau’s Quebec Citadelles that Barber and his Barrie teammates would defeat in a tough seven game series in the Eastern Canadian Final before sweeping the Winnipeg Monarchs in the 1951 Memorial Cup championship series.
“All my life I was a health nut, working out and running. I never took a pill until I was 80 years old,” says Barber, who is proud of his commitment to physical fitness, believing it’s one of the main reasons he is now approaching his 89th birthday.
But, the last few years have been tough. In 2017 Barber was diagnosed with bowel cancer. He listened to the doctor’s advice but opted not to take any treatments. Ten months ago, his wife Eileen, passed away, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It’s left some emptiness in his life, but whenever he has tough days, Barber reminds himself, “I’ve had a very full life. I’m a realist and I see things for what they are. I’m excited about soon being in my 90th year.”
Lionel Barber is a treasured piece of Pembroke’s rich hockey history. After winning that national junior championship with Barrie he tried out for the Quebec Aces, a minor league team playing out of Quebec City that was coached by Punch Imlach. It didn’t work out as Imlach cut him loose, but a crafty general manager of the Pembroke Senior Lumber Kings was there to pick up the pieces and give Barber a new opportunity. Art Bogart had made the trip to Quebec City, introducing himself to Barber, and enthusiastically telling him about the new Pembroke Memorial Centre that would open that season.
Sitting in the dressing room and disappointed that he had not made the Aces, Barber said the first thing that came into his mind when Bogart asked him if he would like to play in Pembroke. “Are there any pretty girls in Pembroke? When Bogart responded, “Hell yes, and they all love hockey players,” the 19-year old Barber packed his suitcase and hitched a ride with minor league player, Hub Anslow, who had also signed with the Senior Lumber Kings. Anslow was originally from Pembroke, but Barber had never been to the community. Barber never left.
(Lionel Barber was the youngest players on the 1951-52 Pembroke Senior Lumber Kings roster. He wore jersey # 18.)
The 1950’s were the heyday of senior hockey in Pembroke. Playing with some outstanding players like Roy, Bruce and Bert Giesebrecht and backstopped by goaltender Fred Murphy, the Lumber Kings iced competitive teams and took several runs at the Allan Cup, the trophy awarded to the best senior hockey team in the country. On opening night at the PMC on November 14, 1951, the Lumber Kings hosted the Montreal Canadiens who strolled into town with six hall of famers in the line-up. Barber drew the assignment of watching the best of the bunch, Maurice “the Rocket” Richard.
The PMC will celebrate its 70th anniversary next year. Barber is the only surviving member of the Senior Lumber Kings who christened the arena. Last year, he returned to the dressing room where he laced up his skates for almost a decade with the Senior Lumber Kings to provide the current day junior Lumber Kings with a pep talk. It was the home opener for the Juniors and had he been a Preacher, Barber’s speech might have been considered a fire and brimstone sermon, but it wasn’t. It was a pointed message to the players that they controlled their destiny.
“There’s a lot that can make you guys that are good athletes, go the wrong way. You’re responsible for yourself. Be strong enough mentally because there are a lot of guys that never made it because they had some sort of a problem,” stressed Barber as he focused in on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Without naming names, Barber spoke about some of his former teammates during his playing career who died young because they had drinking problems.
Hockey is a very different game now than it was in the 1950’s, but Lionel Barber’s message was relevant. It was about making good choices. He concluded his talk by saying, “If you haven’t got the body, you won’t have the mind. if you don’t have the mind, you won’t have the ability. So, it’s up to you!”
Lionel Barber will turn 89 on October 10th. He continues to be a wonderful conversationalist who tells enchanting stories of his hockey career. Up until a couple of years ago he was still playing golf on a regular basis. As his health has deteriorated it’s been more difficult for him to do the things that he has always enjoyed, but Barber’s not bitter. “Life can be tough and mean, but I never feel sorry for myself. I’m a realist and I’m a fighter, but I’ll soon be in my 90th year,” says Barber.
Over nine decades, Barber has been a witness to so much history. A world war, the first person to walk on the moon, the 9-1-1 attacks, the FLQ crisis in Quebec and Pembroke’s only national Junior A hockey championship in 2011. When the Lumber Kings brought back the championship trophy, Barber was invited to be there for the civic celebration. That championship came 60 years after Barber was a Memorial Cup champion in Barrie and he moved to Pembroke to play with the Senior Lumber Kings.
Since then, he’s had a successful career selling cars that eventually led to owning his own business, he’s raised four children, became a Grandfather and a Great Grandfather. One of his Great Grandchildren is named after him, a very special tribute to a man who is proud of his accomplishments but mindful of his mortality. As he says, he’s had a full life.