Matthew Barnaby: Unfiltered

by Matthew Barnaby, Kevin Shea

In the run-up to the NHL Entry Draft in 1992, the Buffalo Sabres interviewed Matthew Barnaby. John Muckler, Buffalo's coach, asked him, "What happens at 8:05 on Saturday night in Detroit when Bob Probert asks you to fight?” When the teenager responded, “That’s easy. At 8:03, I’d have already asked Probert to fight,” they knew they had to draft him. 

Through 14 NHL seasons after that exchange, Barnaby never stopped fighting. 

In Unfiltered , the former right wing reflects on the adventures of a high-profile life and the determination that got him there, from getting drafted last in juniors to carving out a role for himself on each new NHL team, to discovering new joys and passions in retirement. 

Barnaby also opens up about the memorable hijinks, the larger-than-life hockey characters, and the very real challenges and risks that come with the sport's physicality. 

Both hilarious and heartrending, this is an unvarnished story of battles fought and lessons learned.

Genres: Sports, Hockey

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2022

Reviews

[Tyler Patton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed his stories (one of the scummiest players I’ve watched), but the formatting was a mess. Stories repeated, jumping all over and rambling quite a bit. Over all enjoyable, but I skimmed several parts by the end.

[Andy Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Barnaby was one of my favorite players as a kid. I always appreciate a player who is physical, but can score too.

Unless you’re a fan of the Buffalo Sabres, or the other teams Barnaby played for, you likely don’t know him. He looks back on his career very realistically, even his attitude towards coaches and certain hall of fame teammates. I have read several books by athletes, but what I respected the most was he keeps it on himself. That’s for hockey, family, and other facets of his life. He acknowledges his mistakes, and a lot of people don’t necessarily do that.

I would like to be able to ask Barnaby what he thinks social media has done to the players “social” lives. Barnaby mentions several wild nights, that I suspect wouldn’t happen given cell phones and social media.

On a side note, he has a legal history. I work as a probation officer. I respect the ownership he takes of his actions (minus a Nashville incident, read the book!) he is able to say “I made a mistake” which several people can’t say.

If you’re a fan of hockey, give if a read.

[Jason Kobrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite hockey player ever. The book was great and brought back a ton of memories. There was a lot I didn’t know about his story and it was very interesting and very honest. There was a lot of repetition, but it was almost as if it was repetitive because he wrote the chapters as it pertained to what he was thinking at the time and then there was a time gap between them. I’m not sure if that makes sense the way I wrote it, but it was a good book regardless.

[Jeremy Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good stories. I was actually surprised by a lot of it. One of my favorite hockey players of all time so I was very entertained. Matt is very open with his stories and even talks a little crap about some HOFers. The book is not well written though. Many stories repeat. There are a few spelling errors. Sometimes it just seems as though he was rambling. Fans of Barnaby will get a kick out of this book. Fans of writing will not be.

[Herb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vey Fun & Entertaining Book to Read

Matthew Barnaby enlightens the reader with an honest and open perspective of his life and how he was able to make the National Hockey League. I have already read several autobiographies of former NHL Players and this book is right up there with them. Thank You Matthew for an honest perspective regarding your life and carerr.

[Jim Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an open and frank look at life, for a grinder, in the NHL. Some tremendous stories, and some graphic content. The first two thirds of the book at great but it does tail off towards the end.

Not the greatest hockey book I have read but an interesting look at the NHL life of a non-star.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into the life of a hockey player, and what it takes to make it to the NHL! Being from Pittsburgh, I remember Barnaby playing when I was super young! I was super interested in his perspective as a goon in hockey.

[Jason Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

Quick, easy read about Barnaby’s life/career. He was one of them players you hated unless he was on your team! If you are a hockey fan, it’s worth checking out!

[Tommas Ethridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read of a great player and one of the coolest players if meet

[Howie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell it like it is.....thanks for a trip through your hockey life. Terrific read and not holding back. Thanks

[Garrett J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. You learn so much about who Barnaby really is. Off the ice he is one awesome dude and has a lot of fun stories. This is a must read.

[Russell R · Rating 5 out of 5]

good hockey book

[Derek Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible book. Horrendously written, no flow between stories and chapters. So many other, superiorly written autobiographies out there sports-wise.