Melrose, NHL coach, Emmy-winning broadcaster for ESPN, dies at 70

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 first 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.

“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 in a statement. “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.

“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.

“We mourn the passing of a hockey original. And we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Cindy, their sons, Tyrell and Adrien, and all of his teammates, colleagues and admirers around the hockey world.”

Known for his sense of humor as well as the mullet and fancy suits, 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, Melrose covered All-Star Games, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final.

“Barry was my best friend at ESPN,” Buccigross said Wednesday in a post on X. “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.” 

Born on July 15, 1956, in Kelvington, 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 at the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Melrose 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, when he guided the team to a Memorial Cup championship. He later 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 39-35-10 record, good for third in the Smythe Division. Behind Gretzky, former Kings general manager Rob Blake, current Los Angeles president Luc Robitaille and goalie and future broadcaster Kelly Hrudey, the Kings topped the Calgary Flames in six games in the division semifinals, 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. 

“Barry Melrose was a beacon for our sport and will be forever cherished and remembered for his passion and love of the game of hockey,” Robitaille said in a statement. 

“I am truly saddened by the loss of my friend. Barry meant so much to me personally, and his impact on our sport was immeasurable. He played an important role in the growth of hockey and its popularity across the United States, and his influence on the game will not be forgotten.

“Our deepest condolences go out to Cindy and the entire Melrose family.”

Melrose returned to coaching when he started the 2008-09 season as coach of the Lightning, but he went back to ESPN after a 5-7-4 start.

“For more than 30 years Barry was the unquestioned face/voice of hockey in the United States,” Levy said in a statement. “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 golf he wants to.

“Barry Melrose was the best of us.”