Barry Melrose, who made the successful transition from NHL coach to Emmy Award-winning hockey analyst with ESPN, died Wednesday at the age of 70.
Melrose retired from ESPN in 2023 after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Upon his retirement, he said, “I've had over 50 extraordinary years playing, coaching and analyzing the world's greatest game, hockey. It's now time to hang up my skates and focus on my health, my family, including my supportive wife Cindy, and whatever comes next.”
Before he joined ESPN in 1996, Melrose coached Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 in his first of three seasons with the team.
He left ESPN in 2008 to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning but was fired after 16 games and went back to the network.
Known for his mullet, fancy suits and sense of humor, Melrose became a star on ESPN, endearing himself to hockey fans everywhere.
"He's bigger than any team," Gretzky said in a video the day Melrose announced his Parkinson’s diagnosis. "For decades, he's been suiting up -- and I mean suiting up -- for the game, for the sport, for hockey. ... You see, hockey is more than a game, it's a community -- a finely tuned orchestra -- and Barry was our conductor.”
Working regularly with Steve Levy and John Buccigross on ESPN's hockey coverage, Melrose covered All-Star Games, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final.
Upon Melrose’s retirement, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, "Barry is a unique, one-of-a-kind person. And hockey on ESPN won't be the same without him. ... His love for hockey is obvious and infectious. And it is impossible to have a conversation with him without a smile on your face.”
Born on July 15, 1956, in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Melrose was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (No. 36) of the 1976 NHL Draft.
He made his NHL debut on Oct. 10, 1979, with the Winnipeg Jets, getting an assist on a goal by Morris Lukowich in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Melrose, a defenseman, would play 300 NHL games for the Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, his last game on Feb. 1, 1986.
His coaching career began in the 1987-88 season with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. After two seasons there, he coached Adirondack of the American Hockey League, winning the Calder Cup in 1991-92.
The next season, he took over the Kings, leading them to a 42-27-11 record, good for third in the Smythe Division. Behind Gretzky, former Kings GM Rob Blake, current Kings team president Luc Robitaille and goalie and future broadcaster Kelly Hrudey, the Kings topped the Calgary Flames in six games in the Division Semi-Finals, the Vancouver Canucks in six games in the Division Finals and the Maple Leafs in a memorable seven-game Campbell Conference Final before falling in five games to Patrick Roy and the Canadiens in the Cup Final.
He would coach the Kings two more seasons, missing the postseason each time.
He started the 2008-09 season as coach of the Lightning but went back to ESPN after a 5-7-4 start.
