Barry Wilkins

Barry James Wilkins (February 28, 1947 – June 26, 2011) was a professional ice hockey player who competed in the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Wilkins was signed by the Boston Bruins as a teenager and developed through their junior system with the Oshawa Generals, where he was a teammate of Bobby Orr and Wayne Cashman.

Wilkins was recalled from junior to make his NHL debut in the 1966–67 season, appearing in a single game for the Bruins, and turned professional the following year. He spent most of the next three seasons with the Oklahoma City Blazers, Boston's top minor-league affiliate, finding it difficult to crack an increasingly deep Bruin roster. He scored his first NHL goal in his only appearance during the 1968–69 season and appeared in six games for the 1969–70 Bruins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. By the 1969–70 season he was a dominant defenseman in the Central Hockey League with Oklahoma City, finishing the year with 52 points and 204 penalty minutes.

Wilkins is best known for scoring the first goal in Vancouver Canucks history on October 9, 1970. He died at the age of 64 from lung cancer.