Doing Business
The Bill Barber Complex is a dynamic rental space that caters to various activities. The setup varies according to the needs of the users. The space is equipped with benches for seating, making it suitable for sports spectators and participants alike. Hockey enthusiasts will appreciate the presence of clearly marked lines and nets, providing an environment conducive to games.
History of the Bill Barber Complex
The Bill Barber Complex is named after Callander's own NHL player and Team Canada Alum.
Mr Barber was drafted in 1972 by the Philadeplphia Flyers and was interviewed by Natasha Wiatr, Callander Bay Museum Curator for his 50th anniversary;
On growing up playing hockey in Callander:
“Well you know, it was pretty much all that we had. My dad was a big hockey fan, and he had the Petro Can at the corner of Wasi Road and 654 right there… We lived upstairs and they ended up having a rink built right around the corner where we could skate every day, it was really our only sport besides baseball in the summers and soccer came in a little bit later. I fell in love with it in the sense of just, you know, the skating aspect and handling the puck and shooting the puck and that kind of stuff. We had some awesome teams that competed at a high level even though we were a small community and we didn’t lose a lot of games.
I love being up there – still come home in the summers, I love the people, I spend a little bit of time at the Tavern to catch up with everybody and other than that I usually hang my hat on the South Shore and chill out.
I’m fortunate enough to have four championship rings, three Stanley Cup rings, and an American Hockey League ring, I’m very proud of it. The thing about it though is that I thank the people of Callander for always supporting me, and of course your parents, they’re everything and my brothers especially – they’re the ones that were always pushing me a little bit which was good."
Interview originally recorded on May 6, 2020. Parts have been edited and/or condensed for space. You can listen to the entire interview on Youtube at www.youtube.com/callandermuseum