Hockey Legend and ESPN Analyst Barry Melrose Passes Away at 70

Former NHL player, coach, and longtime ESPN analyst Barry Melrose has passed away after a three year battle with Parkinson's disease. 

Barry Melrose, a beloved name in hockey both on the rink and behind the camera, sadly passed away on Wednesday September 9th. His wife Cindy shared the news with ESPN, where Melrose spent over 25 years as an analyst. Melrose was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023, which led him to retire from his hockey analyst role at the sports network. He was 70 years old at the time of his passing. 

Melrose began his career in hockey on the ice in the Western Hockey League, playing for the Kamloops Chiefs from 1974 through 1976. Afterwards, he joined the American Hockey League playing for the Springfield Indians, but moved mid-season to the World Hockey Association’s Cincinnati Stingers. When the WHA disbanded and the NHL absorbed some of the existing teams, Melrose played for the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Detroit Red Wings for the remainder of his playing career. 

Immediately after his retirement, Melrose moved straight into coaching. His career spanned across the Western Hockey League and the NHL, with the pinnacle of his coaching career seeing him lead Wayne Gretzky and the rest of the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. He would retire from coaching after the 94-95 season before returning to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning for a brief stint in 2008. 

In 1996, Melrose stepped away from the action, joining ESPN as a hockey analyst where he became the face of hockey for nearly 30 years. ESPN’s John Buccigross and Steve Levy shared statements on social media, which you can read below: