Background
Barr was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Edmonton, Alberta.
Barr was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Edmonton, Alberta.
He is currently an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres and was previously an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils (July 2011 - December 2014), Minnesota Wild (July 2009 – April 2011) and the Colorado Avalanche (July 2008 – June 2009). After a nomadic junior career in which he played for the Billings Bighorns, Edmonton Oil Kings, Great Falls Americans, Portland Winter Hawks and Lethbridge Broncos of the Western Hockey League, Barr turned pro and went on to play a total of 614 regular season games in the National Hockey League, notching 128 goals and 204 assists, for a total of 332 points, along with 520 PIM over his thirteen seasons. Because of his skill, work ethic and grit, Barr also became a valuable journeyman in the National Hockey League – playing with seven different teams – including stops in Boston, New York (NYR), Saint Louis, Hartford, Detroit, New Jersey and Dallas.
Following the National Hockey League, he closed out his playing career with the IHL"s Kalamazoo Wings and Orlando Solar Bears (where he was a player/assistant coach).
After his retirement as an active player, he continued with coaching, first as an assistant and then becoming the head coach of the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League in the 2000-2001 season. Barr was also named as the head coach of Canada"s National Men"s Summer Under-18 Team for the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament from August 14–18, 2007, in the Czechoslovakian Republic and Slovakia.
Barr left the OHL to become an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League during the 2008-2009 National Hockey League season, but following a disappointing year in which they finished last overall in the National Hockey League"s Western Conference, the Avalanche cleaned house and fired their entire coaching staff On July 3, 2009 the Minnesota Wild hired Dave Barr as an assistant coach.
Barr was dismissed, along with head coach Todd Richards, by the Wild on April 11, 2011 in a Minnesota coaching staff restructuring.
On July 29, 2011, Barr was named assistant coach of the New Jersey Devils, joining new coach Peter DeBoer on the staff Barr was subsequently dismissed, along with head coach Peter DeBoer, by the Devils on December 27, 2014 in a New Jersey coaching staff restructuring. On June 18, 2015, Dan Bylsma named him, along with Terry Murray as assistant coaches of the Buffalo Sabres.