Barry Melrose, a hockey player-turned-coach who led the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before beginning a long career in the sport’s broadcasting, has died. He was 70 years old. ESPN announced Melrose’s death on Wednesday after his wife informed the network. “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 lucky enough to bump into him on a rink or see him on the television screen,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “You were even luckier if you talked to him or listened to his analysis because it never failed to increase your love for hockey.” NHL Network analyst Barry Melrose speaks during a show on December 30, 2014 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images Melrose left his analyst role in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Wayne Gretzky at the time said Melrose was “bigger than any team.” Melrose had an unremarkable broadcasting style, bringing a sense of humor to his ideas, and was easily recognizable by his goatee and slicked-back hair. “For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey,” ESPN said in a statement. “His knowledge of the game was profound, his candor refreshing and his passion unmistakable.” Originally from rural Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Melrose broke into professional hockey with the Cincinnati Stingers of the now-defunct World Hockey Association in 1976. He played three seasons in Cincinnati, the last teaming with a young Mark Messier, and, following the demise of the WHA, transitioned to the NHL with Winnipeg in 1979. He went on to play for Toronto and Detroit, where he closed out his career after the 1985-86 season. He finished with 10 goals and 33 points and 728 penalty minutes in 300 NHL regular-season games, and skated in seven more in the playoffs. His WHA totals were five goals and 32 points and 343 penalty minutes in 178 games with Cincinnati. Melrose dedicated himself to coaching and led the Adirondack Red Wings to the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup championship in 1992. The following year, Melrose was hired by the Kings, where he brought a sense of color and instant success to Los Angeles. In his rookie season, he coached a Kings team that featured Gretzky to a memorable playoff run. They reached the final before losing to Montreal in five games. Melrose finished with a 79-101 record and 29 ties in two-plus seasons in Los Angeles before being fired midway through the 1994-95 season. He was hired by ESPN in 1996 and left broadcasting for what became a brief stint coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning in Steven Stamkos’ rookie season in 2008-09. Melrose was fired 16 games into the season following a 5-7-4 start and returned to broadcasting. Melrose was also known for his prowess at hitting long balls in fastpitch softball, joining fellow Kelvington-area NHLers Wendel Clark, Joey Kocur, Kelly Chase and Kevin Kaminski and others in the offseason in Saskatchewan to form what some called “the toughest team that ever existed.” More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
