The hockey world has suffered a tragic blow with the passing of iconic ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose.
ESPN announced his passing Wednesday evening.
Melrose spent a lifetime in hockey as a player, coach, and television analyst. He played over 300 games in the NHL as a defenseman in the 1970s and 1980s. He then had a short but successful run as a coach with the Los Angeles Kings in the 1990s. Melrose led the team and star Wayne Gretzky to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.
Although he spent just two more years behind the Kings’ bench, it was the next chapter of Barry Melrose’s career that he is best known for.
He joined ESPN in 1996 as one of their lead hockey analysts and never looked back. While he did many games with the network, he was best known for his studio work, especially as the face of the network’s hockey coverage on countless nights of SportsCenter. Over the years, Barry Melrose became synonymous with hockey, whether ESPN had the rights to the NHL or not. It was fitting that he was there the night that the NHL returned to ESPN in 2021 after being gone from the network lineup for several years.
With his unique personality, love of the game, and immaculate head of hair, he was no better ambassador for the sport, keeping it front and center at the Worldwide Leader.
Unfortunately, the longtime NHL analyst retired in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Former colleagues like Dan Patrick and John Buccigross have both called for Barry Melrose to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame given everything he gave to the sport and what he meant to its fans. Hopefully that happens someday soon as a lasting testament to his legacy.
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