As the face of ESPN’s hockey coverage continues his fight with Parkinson’s disease, one of his colleagues is contributing to the cause.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, John Buccigross revealed that he’s selling a new t-shirt featuring a silhouette of Barry Melrose, who announced in October that he was stepping away from his role at ESPN following a Parkinson’s diagnosis. All proceeds from the sales of the $29.99 t-shirt, which can be purchased at assistmelrose.com, will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Buccigross added that proceeds from the sales of his #bucciovertimechallenge and #cawlidgehawkey products will also benefit Parkinson’s charities throughout 2024.
“As we told you a couple months ago, our boy, Barry Melrose, went public with his Parkinson’s Disease,” Buccigross wrote. “Time now to repay his years of hockey service symbolically to him and tangibly to the cause by raising money for Parkinson’s research which is making real strides.”
As we told you a couple months ago, our boy, Barry Melrose, went public with his Parkinson's Disease. Time now to repay his years of hockey service symbolically to him and tangibly to the cause by raising money for Parkinson's research which is making real strides. Here's a…
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) December 26, 2023
The diagnosis of Melrose’s diagnosis, which coincided with the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, has reverberated throughout the hockey world. One week after the diagnosis was made public, Dan Patrick made the case for his former ESPN colleague to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, noting the role that he — and Steve Levy and Buccigross — played in keeping NHL coverage alive on the network, even when it didn’t have the league’s TV rights.
“Barry Melrose and Steve Levy, those two were single handedly keeping hockey highlights in the rundown on Sportscenter. John Buccigross played a role as well. They were fighting hard for that sport,” Patrick said. “And it cannot be overstated Barry Melrose’s role. He was well liked. He did his homework. He cared passionately about it. I hope whatever time left he has, he’s still able to enjoy the sport, watch the sport, be proud of the sport for all the great things that he’s done.”
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.