Thomas Patrick (Tom) Barrasso

Last updated

BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Boston, Massachusetts, March 31, 1965.
HOME: Sewickley, Pennsylvania.
HEIGHT: 6'3".
WEIGHT: 195-211 lbs.
UNIFORM #: 35 (Pittsburgh, Carolina), 30 (United States, Toronto, St. Louis).
CATCHES: Right
HIGH SCHOOL: Acton-Boxboro (Massachusetts) High School.
SALARY (1996-97): $2,717,000.

STYLE: Has a textbook-perfect butterfly, staying patiently in the V stance and taking away the posts at the ice. Stands up on a lot of shots.
STRENGTHS: Tom has always excelled at positional play, and recovers very well after going down. Excellent skater and puck-handler. Quick on his feet. Very confident. Good anticipation and concentration. Excellent glove hand. Strong mental edge, doesn't get intimidated.
WEAKNESSES: Has the reputation for not being a team player. Vulnerable to on-ice shots near the posts, as well as the top left corner, and five-hole shots. Has a propensity to let in shots from long range. Occasionally has trouble handling rebounds.
Name pronounced buh-RAH-soh.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

"[The Buffalo Sabres] were lifted, perhaps a step or two beyond their true talent level, by the remarkable efforts of goaltender Tom Barrasso. Slowed by early injuries and a battle for the backup job that never was resolved to anyone's satisfaction, Barrasso shook off a poor start to post a 25-18-8 record and finish second to Edmonton goaltender Grant Fuhr in Vezina Trophy voting. (The Hockey News 1989 Yearbook, p. 30)

"Barrasso is a great example of a pro you'd put on your team simply because he knows how to win" (Ian Young, Lords of the Rink, 1994)

"The Penguins have one of the league's strongest tandems in Barrasso and Ken Wregget, although Barrasso was hampered by injuries for much of last season. Barrasso back-stopped the Penguins to both of their Stanley Cup titles and was a second-team NHL All-Star in 1993, but he missed 29 games with groin, hip and back injuries last year and posted a 3.36 goals-against average in only 44 games, his fewest in four years." (The Sporting News 1994-95 Hockey Yearbook, p. 59)

"Barrasso was one of the NHL's premier goaltenders in the early 1990s, when he backstopped the Penguins to the two Cups. And he was a second-team NHL All Star in 1992-93. But he has been hampered by injuries since, and that has given Wregget a shot at more playing time." (The Sporting News Hockey Yearbook 1996-97, p. 56)

"Penguins' co-chairman Howard Baldwin said disgruntled goalie Tom Barrasso will be back, ending, at least for now, speculation he'd be bought out or traded." (The Hockey News 1997-98 Yearbook, p. 155)

"Injuries have taken their toll. The Pens have desperately tried to trade him away, but there were no takers, even though GM [Craig] Patrick was willing to eat up to one million dollars of his $2.7 million contract. Intensity and concentration have dropped. Will try to compete for a starting job somewhere." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 104)

"Shoulder injury limited him to five games last season but has returned better than ever (2.07 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and six shutouts." (Pierre Maguire, Sports Illustrated, February 23, 1998)

"Why has Penguins' goalie Tom Barrasso been so consistent this year? He's finally healthy. Since 1988-89 Barrasso has battled painful shoulder ailments that would not allow him to lift weights. Now, after surgery last January [1997], he's stronger than ever and has the best goals-against average (2.14) of his career." (Pierre Maguire, Sports Illustrated, March 9, 1998)

"If you look at the way Tommy's played, he's played as well as he's ever played this season. Maybe he's more intense than some guys, but you have to admire him for putting it on the line." (Teammate Ken Wregget, ESPN Sportszone, April 1998)

"He had an average season after getting Vezina consideration the year before. Missed games last season with right hand, left hand, hip, groin and neck injuries. May have been held together by duct tape and staples. Still a bit of a hothead, although he has calmed down. A big goaltender that still has good agility. Good glove hand. He's an above-average puck handler. He's still Pittsburgh's starting goaltender, but it's an area that will need addressing in the near future." (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 119)

"Maybe the best ever at handling the puck in his own zone." (Darren Eliot, CNN-SI 2000 Playoff Preview)

"The two-time Stanley Cup champion is no longer capable of leading a team to the Promised Land, as many observers still felt when the Sens acquired him at the trade deadline last season. Barrasso still displays flashes of brilliance but many factors haven't changed in his case. Most notably, he's still far from being the greatest team player, and is injury-prone. Despite all his excess baggage, Barrasso should get another chance at a No. 1 job in the NHL." (The Sports Forecaster 2000-01, p. 216)

"Barrasso feels he's still capable of playing a solid game between the pipes. However, his attitude and knack for rubbing people the wrong way may hurt his future NHL plans." (The Sports Forecaster Online, 2000-01)

"Barrasso was acquired by Toronto from Carolina last season after Curtis Joseph went down with a hand injury. Trouble is, Barrasso has been notoriously brittle himself over the years. After a solid start with the Hurricanes, he faded in the second half. At this stage of his career, he can no longer be counted upon to play 55-60 games for anyone. Not an ideal backup because of a surly personality, Barrasso may not receive many more opportunities. He could be a decent fill-in player whenever a starting netminder goes down but that's about it." (The Sports Forecaster 2002-03, p. 215)

TRANSACTIONS:

ACCOLADES:

VEZINA TROPHY BALLOTING:

PTS1st2nd3rdRANKSHARE
1983-844246410.40
1984-855876520.55
1985-86100190.01
1987-882223320.21
1988-89301070.03
1992-9370710520.58
1997-982607530.20

ALL-STAR TEAM BALLOTING (1983-84 to PRESENT):

PTS1st2nd3rdRANKSHARE
1983-8414110.45
1984-851902028620.64
1985-86601380.02
1987-88601151030.19
1992-931512014920.60
1997-9815011240.06

INJURIES:

PENALTY SHOTS:

MISCELLANEOUS:

RECORDS

MILESTONES:

ARTICLES:

DID YOU KNOW?

SEASON-BY-SEASON:

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T    GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
81-82 Acton-Boxboro Colonials HS  23   1035                32   1.86                    7
82-83 Acton-Boxboro Colonials HS  23   1035                17   0.99                   10
      United States WORLD JUNIOR   3    140                12   5.14                    0
83-84 Buffalo Sabres NHL          42   2475  26  12   3   117   2.84    1098   .893     2   0   2    20    26.62  937.80
84-85 United States CANADA CUP     5    252   2   2   1    13   3.00                    0
      Rochester Americans AHL      5    267   3   1   1     6   1.35      94   .936     1   0   0     2    21.12  971.38
      Buffalo Sabres NHL          54   3248  25  18  10   144   2.66    1274   .887     5   0   6    41    23.53  926.19
85-86 Buffalo Sabres NHL          60   3561  29  24   5   214   3.61    1778   .880     2   0   4    28    29.96  929.57
      United States WORLD          5    260                18   4.15
86-87 Buffalo Sabres NHL          46   2501  17  23   2   152   3.65    1202   .874     2   0   1    22    28.84  921.60
87-88 United States CANADA CUP     1     60   0   1   0     5   5.00                    0
      Buffalo Sabres NHL          54   3133  25  18   8   173   3.31    1658   .896     2   0   1    50    31.75  948.58
88-89 Buffalo Sabres NHL          10    545   2   7   0    45   4.95     285   .842     0   0   3    21    31.38  894.40
      Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     44   2406  18  15   7   162   4.04    1445   .888     0   0   5    49    36.03  947.95
89-90 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     24   1294   7  12   3   101   4.68     748   .865     0   0   0     8    34.68  922.78
90-91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     48   2754  27  16   3   165   3.59    1579   .896     1   0   5    40    34.40  952.84
91-92 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     57   3329  25  22   9   196   3.53    1702   .885     1   0   4    30    30.68  935.97
92-93 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     63   3702  43  14   5   186   3.01    1885   .901     4   0   8    24    30.55  952.24
93-94 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     44   2482  22  15   5   139   3.36    1304   .893     2   0   1    42    31.52  945.94
94-95 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL      2    125   0   1   1     8   3.84      75   .893     0   0   0     0    36.00  953.33
95-96 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     49   2800  29  16   2   160   3.43    1626   .902     2   0   3    18    34.84  959.67
96-97 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL      5    269   0   5   0    26   5.80     186   .860     0   0   0     0    41.49  929.36
97-98 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     63   3542  31  14  13   122   2.07    1556   .922     7   0   2    14    26.36  965.52
98-99 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     43   2306  19  16   3    98   2.55     993   .901     4   0   3    20    25.84  944.37
99-00 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     18    870   5   7   2    46   3.17     386   .881     1   0   0     6    26.62  925.20
      Ottawa Senators NHL          7    418   3   4   0    22   3.16     182   .879     0   0   0     0    26.12  922.66
00-01                              RETIRED FROM PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY
01-02 Carolina Hurricanes NHL     34   1908  13  12   5    83   2.61     886   .906     2   0   0     4    27.86  952.76
      United States OLYMPICS       1     60   1   0   0     1   1.00      13   .923     0   0   0     0    13.00  944.74
      Toronto Maple Leafs NHL      4    219   2   2   0    10   2.74     110   .909     0   0   0     0    30.14  959.32
02-03 St. Louis Blues NHL          6    293   1   4   0    16   3.28     132   .879     1   0   0     0
NINETEEN (19) NHL SEASONS        777  44180 369 277  86  2385   3.24   22090  0.892    38   0  48   437
 
POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
83-84 Buffalo Sabres NHL           3    139   0   2    8   3.45      59   .864     0   0   0     7    25.47  906.85
84-85 Buffalo Sabres NHL           5    300   2   3   22   4.40     151   .854     0   0   0     2    30.20  904.64
87-88 Buffalo Sabres NHL           4    224   1   3   16   4.29     120   .867     0   0   0     0    32.14  920.24
88-89 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     11    631   7   4   40   3.80     389   .897     0   0   1     8    36.99  958.82
90-91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     20   1175  12   7   51   2.60     629   .919     1   0   1     2    32.12  972.45
91-92 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     21   1233  16   5   58   2.82     622   .907     1   0   2     4    30.27  957.20
92-93 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     12    722   7   5   35   2.91     370   .905     2   0   3     4    30.75  956.65
93-94 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL      6    356   2   4   17   2.87     162   .895     0   0   0     4    27.30  940.57
94-95 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL      2     80   0   1    8   6.00      41   .805     0   0   0     2    30.75  856.13
95-96 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     10    557   4   5   26   2.80     337   .923     1   0   0     8    36.30  983.35
97-98 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL      6    376   2   4   17   2.71     171   .901     0   0   0     2    27.29  946.06
98-99 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     13    787   6   7   35   2.67     350   .900     1   0   0     4    26.68  944.47 
99-00 Ottawa Senators NHL          6    372   2   4   16   2.58     168   .905     0   0   0     2    27.10  949.92
THIRTEEN (13) NHL POSTSEASONS    119   6953  61  54  349   3.01    3569  0.902     6   0   7    49    30.80  953.54

NHL GAME DIRECTORY:

OLYMPIC GAME DIRECTORY:

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