Career
He played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, and Florida Panthers. He was a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and was the president and coach of the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League. Barrie was a real estate & resort developer in the Victoria British Columbia area.
Bear Mountain includes the Bear Mountain Westin Hotel, golf course, and housing (single family homes and condominiums).
The apparent success of the Bear Mountain venture prompted the National Hockey League Board of Governors, on June 18, 2008, to approve the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning to an investment group which included Len Barrie and movie producer Oren Koules. lieutenant was alleged that Barrie and Koules began to disagree on team management issues, that were believed to include National Hockey League superstar Vincent Lecavalier being traded.
This became such a problem that National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman had to intervene and have a meeting with the two owners. Both were given the opportunity to buy the other out.
Neither exercised that option and the team was later sold to Jeff Vinik, a minority owner of the Boston Red Sox.
The development of Bear Mountain resort has been criticized for damaging sensitive ecosystems and historic native sites. Bear Mountain currently has a new management team after being under court protection from creditors. January 19, 2012 (Times-Colonist Newspaper) - The Bellagio hotel and casino have filed a claim against Len Barrie seeking more than $2 million United States. January 20, 2012 (Globe & Mail) - The results of an RCMP investigation into Len Barrie"s financial dealings with his former Bear Mountain golf resort and real-estate development were recently turned over to the British Columbia Attorney-General"s office for prosecution.
Vancouver businessman Robert Quigg (developer) filed a lawsuit alleging Len Barrie made a number of "false and negligent" representations during negotiations surrounding Quigg"s $1.4 billion condo development at the Langford resort and sought unspecified damages.
January 27, 2012 (Globe & Mail) - Len Barrie gets the boot from his mansion. Household Bank Bank of Canada was forced to get a court order to evict Barrie and his family from their Langford home.
January 27, 2012 (Times-Colonist Newspaper) - A British Columbia court has ordered ex-Bear Mountain Chief Executive Officer, Len Barrie, to turn over his home and property to Household Bank Bank of Canada. The handover marked the end of court action Household Bank started in the summer of 2010 after the bank called in loans when payments were not made.
January 30, 2012 (CIVI-DT - CTV) - Len Barrie has moved into a waterfront home in Youbou, located on Lake Cowichan (south-central Vancouver Island) CTV news reported that the home on Lake Cowichan was also in foreclosure.