Barry Melrose obit

Barry Melrose, former player, coach and ESPN analyst, dies

 He was not on the list.

Barry Melrose, a former NHL player and coach who was a beloved hockey analyst for ESPN for over 25 years, died Wednesday, his wife, Cindy, told ESPN's Steve Levy. He was 70.

Melrose was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2023, leading to his retirement from ESPN. He joined the network in 1996.

"For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey," ESPN said in a statement. "His knowledge of the game was deep, his candor was refreshing, and his passion was unmistakable. He was a foundational part of ESPN's hockey coverage, and fans and teammates truly appreciated his entertaining delivery and charismatic personality.

"We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones. He always kept it interesting and he will be missed."

Melrose served as coach of the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings, taking them to the Stanley Cup Final in the first of his three seasons (1992-95). He stepped away briefly from ESPN in 2008 to return to the bench, coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning for 16 games.

Overall, he had an 84-108-29 record as a head coach.

At ESPN, millions watched him as a studio analyst, and within the company's walls, he was lauded as the consummate teammate.

He was known for his witty personality, flashy suits and recognizable goatee, slicked-back hair and mullet, which endeared him to hockey fans worldwide. He regularly worked alongside Levy and John Buccigross on ESPN's hockey coverage, including All-Star Games, Stanley Cup playoffs and the Cup Final.

"Barry was my best friend at ESPN," Buccigross wrote on social media Wednesday night. "A big brother figure of rock solid values. I am shook to my core. 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."

Added Levy: "For more than 30 years Barry was the unquestioned face/voice of hockey in the United States. He was a man of the people, a family man, a part of my family. Tonight I'll toast to the kid from Kelvington who made it big but never forgot his roots. Now he can drink all the Bud Lights, smoke all the cigars and play all the rounds of golf he wants to. Barry Melrose was the best of us."

At the time of Melrose's retirement, Gretzky paid tribute to him with the greatest of compliments: "Hockey is more than a game, it's a community -- a finely tuned orchestra -- and Barry was our conductor."

The Kings hired Melrose in 1992, and with Gretzky leading the way, they made a memorable playoff run, reaching the Cup Final before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

Rob Blake, a Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman, played for Melrose during that time, and after learning of his death Wednesday, he recalled their days together.

"He was just a terrific person to be in charge of our team," Blake told ESPN. "A real big personality, and he was a pleasure. He loved the game of hockey. The bright lights in L.A. were nothing for him when he got there."

Blake said he wasn't surprised when Melrose made a successful pivot to television.

"What he was teaching us about the game of hockey, he was teaching on TV," Blake said. "He got to promote the game for a number of years at a very high level. It was great."

Tony Granato, another former King, added: "He could light up a room. He could make people hear his voice, and then you turn around and wonder what else he was going to say? There was no phoniness to him. He just was himself."

Melrose, who was from rural Kelvington, Saskatchewan, began his coaching career in 1987, when he led the Medicine Hat Tigers to the WHL's Memorial Cup title. He coached the Seattle Thunderbirds for the 1988-89 season and the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League for three seasons (1989-92), winning the Calder Cup championship in 1991.

During his 11 years as a player, Melrose appeared in 300 career NHL games as a defenseman with the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings (1979-86). He also played three seasons with Cincinnati in the WHA (1976-79) -- the last teaming with a young Mark Messier.

He finished with 10 goals, 33 points and 728 penalty minutes in his NHL career. His WHA totals were 5 goals, 32 points and 343 penalty minutes in 178 games.

"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," NHL commissioner Gary 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."

Melrose is survived by his wife, Cindy, and two sons, Tyrell and Adrien.

Melrose began his junior hockey career as a defenceman in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Weyburn Red Wings for the 1973–74 season. He spent the next two seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Kamloops Chiefs.

He was selected in the second round (36th overall) of the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft by the Montreal Canadiens and in the fourth round (37th overall) the 1976 WHA Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Stingers. He started the 1976–77 season with the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League, before moving mid-season to the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), where he stayed until 1979.

Upon retirement, Melrose immediately began coaching. He coached the 1987–88 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, leading them to a 44–22–6 record and a Memorial Cup title.

Melrose coached the next season with the Seattle Thunderbirds before jumping to the AHL and coaching the Adirondack Red Wings. He spent three years with the Red Wings, leading them to a Calder Cup win in the 1991–92 season.

For the 1992–93 season, the 35-year-old Melrose was hired to coach the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, leading them, without home-ice in any round, to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, which they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games. It was the franchise's first trip the finals. Melrose's Kings missed the playoffs the next season and then he was fired 41 games into the 1994–95 season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning hired Melrose as their head coach in June 2008. On October 21, 2008, Melrose recorded his first win as a head coach in over 13 years in a 3–2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. On November 14, 2008, Melrose was fired after just 16 games by the Lightning with a 5–7–4 record.

 Born in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, to Norrie and James Melrose, he grew up on a farm outside the town. He was the cousin of former NHL players Wendel Clark and Joe Kocur and longtime minor league forward Kerry Clark. Melrose resided in Glens Falls, New York, with his wife, Cindy, and the couple had two sons. Melrose became a U.S. citizen in March 1998.

Melrose joined ESPN as a guest analyst in the spring of 1994 and 1995 when the Kings missed the playoffs and permanently in the fall of 1995 as a color commentator and studio analyst alongside hosts John Buccigross and John Saunders. He left ESPN in June 2008 to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning. After his short stint with the Lightning ended, he returned to ESPN on January 1, 2009, in conjunction with the Winter Classic played between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. He was also the lead studio analyst on NHL 2Night together with Ray Ferraro along with host Buccigross. The trio also called select NHL games and the Frozen Four championship games together.

Career statistics

                        Regular season                       Playoffs

Season Team   League GP       G         A         Pts       PIM     GP       G         A         Pts       PIM

1973–74          Weyburn Red Wings   SJHL   50        2          19        21        162      —        —        —        —            —

1974–75          Kamloops Chiefs        WCHL 70        6          18        24        95        6          1          1          2            21

1975–76          Kamloops Chiefs        WCHL 72        12        49        61        112      12        4          6          10            14

1976–77          Cincinnati Stingers      WHA  29        1          4          5          8          2          0          0          0            0

1976–77          Springfield Indians      AHL    23        0          3          3          17        —        —        —        —            —

1977–78          Cincinnati Stingers      WHA  69        2          9          11        113      —        —        —        —            —

1978–79          Cincinnati Stingers      WHA  80        2          14        16        222      3          0          1          1            8

1979–80          Winnipeg Jets  NHL    74        4          6          10        124      —        —        —        —        —

1980–81          Winnipeg Jets  NHL    18        1          1          2          40        —        —        —        —        —

1980–81          Toronto Maple Leafs   NHL    57        2          5          7          166      3          0          1          1            15

1981–82          Toronto Maple Leafs   NHL    64        1          5          6          186      —        —        —        —            —

1982–83          Toronto Maple Leafs   NHL    52        2          5          7          68        4          0          1          1            23

1982–83          St. Catharines Saints   AHL    25        1          10        11        106      —        —        —        —            —

1983–84          Detroit Red Wings      NHL    21        0          1          1          74        —        —        —        —            —

1983–84          Adirondack Red Wings           AHL    16        2          1          3          37        —        —        —            —        —

1984–85          Adirondack Red Wings           AHL    72        3          13        16        226      —        —        —            —        —

1985–86          Detroit Red Wings      NHL    14        0          0          0          70        —        —        —        —            —

1985–86          Adirondack Red Wings           AHL    57        4          4          8          204      —        —        —            —        —

1986–87          Adirondack Red Wings           AHL    55        4          9          13        170      11        1          2            3          107

WHA totals      178      5          27        32        343      5          0          1          1          10

AHL totals       248      14        40        54        760      11        1          2          3          107

NHL totals       300      10        23        33        728      7          0          2          2          38