Barry Melrose, a former NHL player and coach who went on to become one of hockey’s most popular TV analysts, has died, according to his family. He was 70.
Melrose’s wife, Cindy, informed longtime ESPN partner Steve Levy of Melrose’s passing.
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He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023, forcing his retirement from ESPN after first joining the network in 1996.
NHL Network analyst Barry Melrose speaks during an NHL Live show at the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Build Out on Dec. 30, 2014, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. NHLI via Getty Images
“Barry was my best friend at ESPN. A big brother figure of rock-solid values. I am shook to my core,” ESPN’s John Buccigross posted on X. “Barry gave his life to hockey and some of his ESPN family, like me, learned of his shocking death today while at a hockey rink in Las Vegas preparing for the upcoming season.
“Chilling and fitting — the rink was Barry’s home. A more beloved ESPN institution there has not been. We love you, Barry. Forever.”
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Melrose appeared in 300 NHL games as a defenseman for the Jets, the Maple Leafs and the Red Wings from 1979-86 before leading Wayne Gretzky and the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season as head coach in 1993.
He posted an overall record of 84-108-29 as a coach, also including a 16-game stint with the Lightning in 2008.
Still, his true calling was in the TV studio, where he became one of hockey’s beloved figures with his flashy suits and ebullient personality.
Barry Melrose of the Maple Leafs skates against the Canucks during an NHL game on March 4,
1981, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Getty Images
Lightning head coach Barry Melrose talks to his players during a break in play against the Panthers on Nov. 12,
2008, at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. NHLI via Getty Images
“He’s bigger than any team,” Gretzky once said of Melrose. “For decades, he’s been suiting up — and I mean suiting up — for the game, for the sport, for hockey.
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“You see, hockey is more than a game, it’s a community — a finely tuned orchestra — and Barry was our conductor.”
ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose is pictured on the set of SportsCenter in Studio X on May 18, 2015, in Bristol, Conn. Allen Kee / ESPN Images
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also released a statement about Melrose’s passing, calling him “a hockey original.”
“From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen,” Bettman said. “You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis, because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey.
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“A rangy and rugged defenseman from Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Barry fashioned an 11-year pro career in the NHL, AHL and WHA. But it was as a coach, who guided the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, and as a broadcaster, who spent 27 years at ESPN, that he truly made his mark upon the game. And during those countless encounters over the years with players, coaches, fans and viewers who couldn’t help but be drawn in by his enthusiasm.”
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