Barry Melrose, the former NHL player and coach who became one of hockey’s most recognizable television voices thanks to his booming enthusiasm and unmistakable style, has died at 70, ESPN announced.
Melrose had been living with Parkinson’s disease since 2023. His death on Wednesday was confirmed by his wife, Cindy, to Steve Levy, his longtime friend and broadcast partner.
A proud Canadian, Melrose spent seven seasons as an NHL player before moving behind the bench, where he coached parts of four seasons and guided a team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
His most famous coaching run came with the Los Angeles Kings, where he led Wayne Gretzky to the final Stanley Cup Finals appearance of Gretzky’s legendary career. After Melrose retired, Gretzky paid tribute to his impact, saying: “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.”
Gretzky added, “Hockey is more than a game. It’s a community – a finely tuned orchestra – and Barry was our conductor.”
Beloved NHL player, coach and analyst Barry Melrose has died after a battle with Parkinson’s
Melrose is best known for being the face of ESPN’s coverage of the sport of hockey since 1996
Melrose (L) was also a coach in the NHL and led the likes of Wayne Gretzky with the Kings
Born in 1956 in the town of Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Melrose played as a defenseman at the major junior level that led to him being noticed and drafted in 1976.
When faced with the choice of playing for the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association, Melrose chose the latter and logged 27 points in 149 games.
The WHA collapsed after 1979 and four of its franchises were absorbed by the NHL – including the Winnipeg Jets, who Melrose joined for the 1979-80 season.
Across the rest of his playing career, Melrose played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings – bouncing between the NHL and AHL. Across his career, he logged 300 NHL games, scoring ten career goals and 33 career points along with 728 penalty minutes.
While playing for the Red Wings’ minor league team in New York’s Adirondacks, Melrose settled down in the team’s home of Glens Falls. He settled there with his wife, Cindy, and his two sons Tyrell and Adrien.
Following his retirement, Melrose immediately began coaching and took the helm with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the major-junior WHL. He won a Canadian national championship with the team in his only season with them. Melrose then moved to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds before returning to Glens Falls with the AHL’s Adirondack Red Wings. He coached there for three season and won the AHL’s Calder Cup in the 1991-92 season.
His success at that level led to his promotion to coaching Gretzky and the Kings at just the age of 35. In his first season, Melrose led Los Angeles to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to the Canadiens in five games. To this day, Montreal’s title was the last one won by a Canadian team.
Melrose missed the playoffs the next two seasons and was subsequently fired, leading to him beginning his career in broadcasting.
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Born in Saskatchewan, Melrose played 300 games for the Jets, Maple Leafs and Red Wings
Melrose moved to coaching after retirement, leading Gretzky and the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993 where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games
Melrose returned to coaching briefly in 2008, getting fired after 16 games with the Lightning
He served as a guest analyst during the playoffs in 1994 and 1995 before becoming a permanent fixture of the network.
Melrose briefly departed ESPN in June 2008 to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning. He only lasted 16 games before he was fired and replaced by Rick Tocchet.
After his firing, Melrose returned to the Worldwide Leader in January 2009 and remained there until his retirement. In addition to his time at ESPN, Melrose also served as a contributor to the NHL Network.
When his passing was revealed, tributes poured out remembering the famed analyst – none perhaps more important than one from Levy, who partnered with Melrose throughout his entire tenure.
‘For more than 30 years Barry was the unquestioned face/voice of hockey in the United States,’ Levy wrote in a statement. ‘He was a man of the people, a family man, a part of my family.
‘Tonight, I’ll toast to the kid from Kelvington who made it big but never forgot his roots. Now he can drink all the Bud Lights, smoke all the cigars and play all the rounds of golf he wants to. Barry Melrose was the best of us.’
Longtime friend and colleague Steve Levy called Melrose ‘the best of us’
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also paid tribute to Melrose after his passing
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also released a statement, saying, ‘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.’
Fellow ESPN talent John Buccigross posted, ‘Barry was my best friend at ESPN. A big brother figure of rock solid values. I am shook to my core.
‘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. We love you, Barry. Forever.’
NBA writer Marc Stein posted, ‘Seeing Barry Melrose as a colleague in Bristol was always wonderful … but I am eternally grateful for how welcoming he was to me when I had to fill in on a Kings road trip and cover his team before I became a full-time NBA writer. Barry loved his sport so, so, SO much.’
‘RIP Barry Melrose, a great hockey character with impeccable suits and hair,’ posted Chris Vannini of The Athletic. ‘He kept hockey’s spirit alive on ESPN for so long when the network didn’t have the NHL.’