Long-time NHL player, coach, and broadcaster Barry Melrose passed away today, his wife, Cindy, told ESPN’s Steve Levy.
Melrose was a second-round pick by Montreal back in 1976 but never suited up for them, instead spending three years in the WHA with Cincinnati. However, he then spent parts of six seasons in the NHL on the back end, suiting up for Winnipeg, Toronto, and Detroit.
He picked up 33 points and 728 penalty minutes in 300 games over that stretch, with his final NHL action coming in the 1985-86 season.
Melrose wasn’t out of hockey for long after that, however, as he turned to coaching. He spent two years as a WHL head coach before moving onto the AHL with Adirondack for three more years, picking up a Calder Cup title in 1991.
Melrose then caught his big break, joining the Kings in 1992-93, immediately taking the team to the Stanley Cup Final. He ultimately spent three seasons with Los Angeles, with the team posting a 79-101-29 record.
Melrose then moved into broadcasting, joining ESPN in 1996 and becoming a prominent voice in the United States. He spent 12 years there before making a brief foray back into coaching, spending 16 games with Tampa Bay in 2008-09, then returned to the network soon after.
He retired from that role in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
At the time of his retirement from broadcasting, his former captain in Los Angeles, Wayne Gretzky, released a video praising his former bench boss: “He’s bigger than any team. 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.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Gary Bettman also released the following statement:
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. 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.
Between playing, coaching, and broadcasting, Melrose spent more than five decades involved in hockey. We at PHR extend our condolences to his friends and family on his passing.