Colorado Avalanche: Goodbye Tyson Barrie

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie is headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will be missed.

When the Colorado Avalanche announced that Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot had been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Nazem Kadri and Calle Rosen it was immediately obvious how much Barrie was going to be missed by Avalanche fans.

During the 24 hours immediately after the trade announcement I witnessed sadness, but also

comfort. Watching fans coming together to support each other and share stories is a testament to the impact Barrie had on both the team and the fans.

There are plenty of posts out there breaking down the mechanics of the trade and whether the Avalanche are going to be better off as a result (they probably are). Our very own Nadia examines the trade here.

As a fan of Barrie myself I wanted to look at the more personal impact he had on fans both in Colorado, and beyond. I invited people to share their Tyson Barrie stories and his fans had plenty to offer.

To start with here’s my own story. I actually became a fan of Barrie before I’d ever seen him play hockey, which I think again demonstrates the sort of personality he has. I’d only been following the team on social media for a couple of weeks when Valentine’s Day came around and with it a video where Barrie and captain Gabriel Landeskog were challenged to write each other Valentine’s cards. It was just a bit of tongue in cheek fun but Barrie threw himself wholeheartedly into the challenge. I decided while I was watching this that anyone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously was someone worth being a fan of.

This has always been one of my go to videos when I’m trying to lure people into becoming an Avalanche fan. It’s just so fun.

In fact a few fans offered this as their favorite Tyson Barrie moment.

https://twitter.com/Burning_Up_/status/1146063886161813504

https://twitter.com/catknit7/status/1146063677486845957

Editor’s note: I love that video, too, but my favorite was his KeyBank Come Fly with Me video. Neither he nor Erik Johnson got the question about Swedish meatballs right, and Barrie seemed personally affronted, saying, “A meatball a day each? That’s INSANE…. I mean, that’s bad math, but that’s a lot of meatballs.” No, I’m going to miss Barrie’s clutch performances and the ability to rag on him. And his porcelain skin — I never got to discover his skincare regime.

I was fortunate enough to get to meet Barrie briefly after a practice while I was visiting Denver. It was the day after Denver had been hit by a bomb cyclone so it was incredibly cold but he still made time for the people who had come out.

https://twitter.com/hils_k/status/1146060180792074240

That’s just the sort of person he is. Always willing to make time for fans and to do what he can to make their experiences special. One fan had several stories of fun interactions she’d had with him.

https://twitter.com/Taylor_Rae_33/status/1146089864246337537

https://twitter.com/Taylor_Rae_33/status/1146090960209661952

https://twitter.com/Taylor_Rae_33/status/1146091681986428928

Taylor is currently gathering stories from Barrie’s fans to put into a book which she will give to him at a later date. If you are interested in submitting something full details are here.

Barrie is not only great with the adult fans, but the kids too. Especially those he spends time with at the annual Charity Brunch.

https://twitter.com/Maid_of_Win/status/1146068634910859265

The media team did a really great job of letting Barrie’s personality shine. The Valentine’s Day video was just one of the many occasions where he was willing to make fun of himself. Another popular video with the fans was where he was asked what his go-to karaoke song is and instead of answering he gave a demonstration.

https://twitter.com/emsabarns/status/1146207998294945792

https://twitter.com/MsShorty2U03/status/1146219589358895104

https://twitter.com/Taylor_Rae_33/status/1146092444909334528

Clearly he didn’t learn from this experience because the following year he found himself singing on camera again.

The fact that he doesn’t take himself too seriously is one thing that seems to resonate with fans. When the social media team collated compliments from fans a lot of the comments were about how relatable he is and how he likes to laugh.

The media team letting him be himself leads to moments like this

https://twitter.com/Avalanche/status/1120814147392942083

Barrie has clearly made a lasting impression on a lot of fans and will be missed by them, but he’s also going to be missed by his teammates. Having spend eight seasons with the Avalanche some of the other players had some touching words to say about him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bze1kY_po8N/

And, finally, a farewell from the man himself.

While the team and fans will move on and get ready for the next season, nothing will ever quite fill the hole that Tyson Barrie has left. While his role on the ice can be replaced, his unique personality never will be.