Barry Melrose, the former NHL player and coach who guided Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Final before becoming one of hockey’s most recognizable television personalities, died Wednesday. He was 70.
Melrose’s wife, Cindy, confirmed his death to longtime ESPN colleague Steve Levy. Melrose had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023, prompting his retirement from ESPN after nearly three decades with the network.
For an entire generation of hockey fans, Melrose was more than an analyst. The suits. The goatee. The slicked-back mullet. The unmistakable voice.
Barry Melrose looked and sounded like nobody else on sports television. And that was exactly why hockey fans loved him.
“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 deep, his candor was refreshing, and his passion was unmistakable.”
Some of the most powerful tributes following Melrose’s death came from those who worked beside him. Buccigross described Melrose as his best friend at ESPN and a “big brother figure.”
“A big brother figure of rock solid values,” Buccigross wrote. “I am shook to my core.” There was also something hauntingly appropriate about where Buccigross learned the news.
He was at a hockey rink in Las Vegas preparing for the upcoming season. “Chilling and fitting the rink was Barry’s home,” Buccigross wrote. “A more beloved ESPN institution there has not been. We love you, Barry. Forever.”
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
