The Washington Capitals have promoted Tim Barnes to an Assistant General Manager position. He had previously served as the team’s Director of Analytics since the 2017-18 season, and filled an analyst role from 2014 to 2017.
Barnes graduated from the University of Calgary in 1989 and worked in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and financial industries. Throughout those jobs, he became one of the hockey world’s earliest analytics-bloggers, covering early advanced statistics under the pseudonym ’Vic Ferrari’. Barnes covered an array of topics, but most notably invented the statistics of ’Corsi’ and ’Fenwick’ – which track shot attempts on net. Both values count all goals, shots on goal, and missed shots – though Corsi also tracks blocked shots.
The invention of Barnes’ two stats was, in many ways, the precipice of hockey analytics as they’re seen today. It brought shrewd attention towards the importance of generating shots, and dangerous scoring chances, that would eventually, directly lead to the creation of expected-goal models. Barnes’ website ’timeonice.com’, now defunct, was also a main contributor in the advent of league-wide, advanced analytics tracking in the 2007-08 season.
To the world of hockey statisticians, Barnes’ hire in Washington was cause for celebration in 2014. That excitement will follow him as he takes yet another step up the org chart. He will become one of three assistant general managers in the Capitals organization, alongside Ross Mahoney and Don Fishman. Barnes will undoutbedly handle statistical oversight, while Mahoney handles Washington’s drafting and Fishman handles roster management. The three align with general manager Chris Patrick, who worked to the top chair himself after three years as an assistant GM.