(VIDEO) Barry Melrose, Legendary Mullet-Sporting ESPN Hockey Analyst And Ex-Kings Coach, Dies At 70

Barry Melrose, the former NHL player and coach who became one of hockey's most recognizable television personalities over nearly three decades at ESPN, died Wednesday at age 70, his wife, Cindy, confirmed to ESPN's Steve Levy.

Melrose had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2023, a health battle that led to his retirement from broadcasting that same year. Announcing his departure at the time, Melrose reflected on the scope of his career in the sport.

"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 his 2023 retirement 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."

Born in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Melrose was selected in the second round of the 1976 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, though his NHL debut came in 1979 with the Winnipeg Jets. Over an 11-year professional career, Melrose played 335 NHL games as a rugged defenseman with the Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, in addition to three seasons with Cincinnati in the World Hockey Association, giving him 478 total games across both leagues.

Melrose transitioned into coaching in 1987, guiding the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Western Hockey League's Memorial Cup championship in his first season behind the bench. He went on to coach the Seattle Thunderbirds during the 1988-89 season before moving to the American Hockey League's Adirondack Red Wings, where he won the Calder Cup championship in 1991.

His biggest coaching opportunity came in 1992, when he took over the Los Angeles Kings, led at the time by Wayne Gretzky. In his very first season as an NHL head coach, Melrose guided the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, where Los Angeles ultimately fell to the Montreal Canadiens in five games. He remained with the Kings for parts of three seasons before being fired in April 1995, finishing his overall NHL coaching career with an 84-108-29 record. He later returned to coaching briefly, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning for 16 games during the 2008-09 season.

Just 30 minutes after being let go by the Kings in 1995, Melrose was signed by ESPN to work as a studio analyst during that year's NHL playoffs, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He called games part-time the following season before joining the network full time as an analyst for the 1996-97 campaign, beginning a run that would ultimately span nearly 30 years and earn him an Emmy Award.

As a studio analyst, Melrose became instantly recognizable for his distinctive personal style, including his trademark mullet, slicked-back hairstyle, flashy suits and cigar-loving persona, traits that endeared him to hockey fans well beyond his coaching résumé. Reflecting on the image he hoped to project to viewers, Melrose offered a candid explanation in a 1995 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

"When people watch me on TV, I want them to go, 'Geez, I'd like to go for a beer with Barry Melrose and talk hockey. He seems like he'd be very interesting,'" Melrose said.

ESPN issued a statement honoring Melrose's contributions to the network's hockey coverage following his death.

"For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey," ESPN said. "His knowledge of the game was deep, his candor was refreshing, and his passion was unmistakable. He was a foundational part of ESPN's hockey coverage, and fans and teammates truly appreciated his entertaining delivery and charismatic personality. We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones. He always kept it interesting and he will be missed."

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also paid tribute to Melrose in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

"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," Bettman said. "A rangy and rugged defenseman from Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Barry fashioned an 11-year pro career in the NHL, AHL and WHA. But it was as a coach, who guided the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, and as a broadcaster, who spent 27 years at ESPN, that he truly made his mark upon the game. We mourn the passing of a hockey original."

Wayne Gretzky, who played under Melrose during his Kings tenure, previously paid tribute to his former coach at the time of his 2023 retirement, describing him as a figure whose influence extended well beyond any single team.

"He's bigger than any team," Gretzky said. "For decades, he's been suiting up — and I mean suiting up — for the game, for the sport, for hockey. You see, hockey is more than a game, it's a community — a finely tuned orchestra — and Barry was our conductor."

Longtime ESPN colleague John Buccigross shared an emotional tribute to Melrose on X following news of his death, describing the circumstances under which he and other members of the ESPN hockey team learned of the loss.

"Barry was my best friend at ESPN," Buccigross wrote. "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."

Melrose is survived by his wife, Cindy, and their two sons, Tyrell and Adrien. His death leaves a significant gap in hockey broadcasting, closing out a career that spanned from his early playing days in the WHA and NHL through a coaching tenure that included a Stanley Cup Final appearance, and finally into nearly three decades as one of the sport's most beloved and instantly recognizable television personalities.