Barry Melrose, the former NHL player and coach who was a longtime hockey analyst for ESPN, announced his retirement Tuesday after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“I’ve had over 50 extraordinary years playing, coaching and analyzing the world’s greatest game, hockey. It’s now time to hang up my skates and focus on my health, my family, including my supportive wife Cindy, and whatever comes next,” Melrose said in a statement. “I’m beyond grateful for my hockey career and to have called ESPN home for almost 30 years. Thanks for the incredible memories and I’ll now be cheering for you from the stands.”
Melrose, 67, played and coached professionally, then became the face of ESPN’s hockey coverage after he joined the network as an analyst in 1996. His broadcast partner, John Buccigross, first reported the news of Melrose’s departure.
Advertisement
“Barry Melrose has Parkinson’s disease and is stepping away from our ESPN family to spend more time with his,” Buccigross wrote on social media. “I’ve worked with Barry at ESPN for over a quarter century. Cold beers and hearty laughs in smokey cigar bars. A razor sharp wit, he was always early & looked like a million bucks. I love him. I’ll miss him.”
A second-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1976 NHL draft, Melrose was a defenseman for the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. He played professionally for 11 years and began coaching in 1987, leading the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League to the Memorial Cup title that season. He later coached a Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings squad, taking the team to the Stanley Cup finals in 1993, the first of his three seasons with the franchise. Melrose left ESPN in 2008 to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning for 16 games and finished his head coaching career with an 84-108-29 record.
“Barry is a unique, one-of-a-kind person. And hockey on ESPN won’t be the same without him,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “For nearly 50 years, as a player, coach and broadcaster, Barry‘s gigantic personality and trademark style have made our game bigger, more exciting and more entertaining. His love for hockey is obvious and infectious. And it is impossible to have a conversation with him without a smile on your face. Barry, we wish you well in this fight and know you will give it everything you have — as you always do.”
Hockey and media colleagues offered their appreciation to Melrose after the news broke Tuesday. In an ESPN video tribute, Gretzky said Melrose is “bigger than any team.”
“Hockey is more than a game. It’s a community. A finely-tuned orchestra. And Barry was our conductor,” he said. “Barry has given so much to the game. And now he needs our support. And all of us in hockey are here for him.”
Barry Melrose is an absolute legend and terrific teammate who was always a great sport when we asked him to do dumb stuff we had no business asking him to do. Much love and respect to him and his family. Fight on Barry. ❤️ https://t.co/xdkaY0WPX7 pic.twitter.com/0DXk0pEsEY
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) October 10, 2023Always looked forward to seeing Barry Melrose on campus. Kind as could be, always with a hello and I loved watching him banter with Bucci and Levy.
Wishing him and his family all the best. https://t.co/VkpM78nX2v
Very few people have impacted hockey television coverage in the United States more than Barry Melrose. He is an institution and all of us are lucky and grateful that he shared his love and passion for the game with us for nearly three decades. The Columbus Blue Jackets send… https://t.co/UYAUu2HBlz
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 10, 2023ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZMCxu9GtqmhqYGeAcH2PaGhpZ5KWv7PFjKacpaqfqLJuvsStoKudo2K9or7KoqWsp56oeqa%2Fz6dm