Andy Barbe, his longtime coach King Clancy once said, had the hardest shot in hockey.
Barbe, who came from the same hometown as the legendary Toe Blake, played three seasons with the Los Angeles Monarchs in the PCHL and fell in love with West Coast life. He reluctantly returned to the east and higher caliber hockey, playing for years for Clancy's Pittsburgh Hornets in the hopes of making the Maple Leafs.
However, Barbe's lone NHL appearance was on January 18, 1951, with Toronto. Other than that, he never made it back to the Gardens, was never traded, and retired in 1955 with exactly one NHL game to his credit.
