"I didn't have any interest in it; I don't really remember exactly why," Parrish said. "People brought it up, but I shot it down instantly. I wanted to coach. I always thought that was in my blood. Whether it was kids, college, professionally, that was where my mindset was."
But with some persistence from his wife, Nicholle, who has a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Minnesota, Parrish began working games as an analyst for St. Cloud State University, where he played from 1995-97.
"I have my own coach at home," Parrish said. "It's awesome. She watches me on TV, every time I'm on. She'll be like, 'Do this, don't do this.' She coached me through it for a few years and still does.
"I still enjoy coaching, but I really, really enjoy TV."
Parrish will on television Monday when he joins NHL Network as a studio analyst. His first appearance will be on "NHL Tonight" at 10 p.m. ET. He's excited on many levels, particularly to return to a familiar area; the former right wing played for the New York Islanders from 2000-06.
Parrish, 41, was able to return to his Islanders roots last season with MSG Networks, working part-time as an analyst.
"For me to go back and be part of that organization that I had not only my best years and spent most of my career with, it was a ridiculous amount of fun," said Parrish, who scored 214 points (118 goals, 96 assists) in 345 games with the Islanders and finished his NHL career with 387 points (216 goals, 171 assists) in 722 NHL games. "I felt like a rookie in the NHL when you look forward to the road trips. It kind of gave me this rejuvenated enthusiasm that my wife was even laughing at me."
Parrish said he's looking forward to joining several former players at NHL Network, including analyst Brian Lawton, who was a prominent figure over the course of his career.
"Getting a chance to work side by side with guys like Scott Stevens and Stu Grimson, Alex Tanguay, all those guys … Brian Lawton was my agent and has always been a wealth of hockey knowledge," said Parrish, who played for the Florida Panthers, Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres over 12 seasons. "Just to learn more from them just about the game as well, to hear their perspective, it just helps me gain more knowledge.
"I'm incredibly excited about it. It's obviously a show I watch [darn] near every single day and always enjoy it with former teammates, former agents, players that either played against, fought against, with and everything. I've always respected all of their opinions. I'm excited to hopefully keep up with them. I'm just giddy."
