Barclay Plager
Barclay Graham Plager ( born March 26, 1941 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario; † 6 February 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach, who in his active years from 1957 to 1978 among others for the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League has played.
Career
Barclay Plager grew up in an area where hockey was one of the few ways to escape the usual work as miners. Even if he with his talent this jump would not alone can create, impressed its use and covert minor weaknesses in the playful area. He played during his junior time at the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey Association before moving to the Eastern Professional Hockey League had its first station in the seniors at the Hull- Ottawa Canadiens. After working with the Quebec Aces, Pittsburgh Hornets, Edmonton Flyers and Omaha Knights in 1964 he came to the Springfield Indians, who played in the American Hockey League. Here was NHL legend Eddie Shore his coach and formed him. In a time when only six teams played in the NHL, it was not enough to prevail there. The rights to it were given by Montreal over Detroit and Los Angeles to the New York Rangers. After playing the beginning of the 1967/68 season again only in the farm team for the Buffalo Bisons in the AHL, he was transferred to the end of November 1967 together with Red Berenson of the St. Louis Blues. In this team, which was in his first NHL season, also played his brother Bob. He managed to immediately jump into the league and formed with his brother, the heart of the defense of the blues. The following year came with Bill, the third brother of the team. Barclay was one of the leading players in the team and so it was no surprise that he was 1972 team captain for the Blues. His constant use also made him one of the audience favorites.
At 35, he wanted to finish his NHL career in 1976 and shone as a player-coach in the farm team for the Kansas City Blues. For two games, he returned to the NHL. At the end of another season as player-manager of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, he ended his career on the ice and worked only behind the gang. The Blues were looking for a successor to Leo Boivin and Plager took over the ailing team. He took over from 1980 also functions as a scout and assistant coach for the Blues true. Halfway through the 1982/83 season he took over for 48 games of the regular season once the job of the head coach and led the team to the playoffs. He then moved back into second place.
Even earlier, on March 24, 1981 his jersey number 8 was locked in the blues. In early 1987 they had detected a brain tumor in him. He had survived surgery, but soon discovered another tumor. On February 6, 1988, he succumbed to this disease. Three days later, the NHL All-Star Game, there was a minute of silence in his honor.