Former NHL coach, broadcaster Barry Melrose passes away at 70

Barry Melrose, the former NHL player and coach who made the switch to ESPN as an analyst, died Wednesday.

He was 70.

Barry’s wife, Cindy, confirmed his death to ESPN’s Steve Levy.

“For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey,” ESPN said in a statement. “He was a foundational part of ESPN’s hockey coverage, and fans and teammates truly appreciated his entertaining delivery and charismatic personality.”

In a social media post, ESPN hockey analyst John Buccigross called Melrose “a big brother figure.”

“I am shook to my core,” Buccigross said. “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.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement Wednesday evening, saying Melrose “truly made his mark on the game.”

“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.”

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Melrose stepped away from his role with ESPN after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

“I’ve had over 50 extraordinary years playing, coaching and analyzing the world’s greatest game, hockey,” Melrose said in a statement at the time. “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 joining ESPN in 1996, Melrose served as head coach of the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings, taking them to their first Stanley Cup Final in 1992-93. He then worked for the American sports broadcaster for 27 years, aside from a brief stint in 2008 to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After an 11-year playing career split between the NHL, AHL and the now-defunct World Hockey Association (WHA), Melrose immediately got behind the bench, coaching the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers to a Memorial Cup in 1987-88. He coached the Seattle Thunderbirds for a year before taking a professional gig with the AHL’s Adirondack Red Wings. He spent three years there, winning a Calder Cup in 1991-92 before taking the L.A. job the following season.