Barry Melrose Dies at 70: His NHL Coaching and ESPN Broadcasting Legacy
Barry Melrose, the former NHL coach who became a longtime ESPN hockey analyst, has died at 70. Here's a look at his coaching, playing and broadcasting career.
Barry Melrose, the coach who led the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final and who spent nearly three decades as one of hockey's most recognizable TV voices, died Wednesday, according to an NHL.com tribute and an Associated Press report carried by ABC News. He was 70. Neither report specifies a cause of death.
What happened
Melrose died on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, the NHL.com announcement and the AP report state. He had retired from his ESPN broadcasting role in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, per both reports. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called him "a distinctive and trusted hockey voice," praising his analysis and enthusiasm, according to the same reporting, while ESPN separately described him as one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey, praising his knowledge, candor and passion, per the AP account.
His playing and coaching career
Melrose's hockey journey began well before he became a broadcaster. The Montreal Canadiens selected him in the second round, No. 36 overall, of the 1976 NHL Draft, and he made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 10, 1979, according to NHL.com. Over his playing career he appeared in 300 NHL games, both NHL.com and the AP report note.
His biggest coaching moment came with the Kings, whom he led to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, a milestone confirmed by both NHL.com and the AP report. Years later, in 2008, Melrose stepped away from broadcasting to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he was fired after just 16 games and returned to ESPN, according to NHL.com.
Why fans remember his broadcasting career
Melrose first joined ESPN in 1996 and, according to the NHL.com tribute, spent 27 years there as a hockey analyst -- a run interrupted only by his brief return to coaching. That long tenure, paired with his time as a Cup Final coach, is central to why he became such a familiar figure to hockey audiences: he brought a coach's inside perspective to the broadcast booth for a generation of NHL fans.
His 2023 retirement, prompted by his Parkinson's diagnosis, marked the end of that on-air run. In his retirement message, cited by NHL.com, Melrose said he would hang up his skates and focus on his health and family.
What's still unknown
Among the sources reviewed, no cause of death has been made public. The available reporting also does not detail funeral or memorial arrangements. Readers should treat any additional biographical or tribute details circulating elsewhere as unconfirmed until an official source addresses them.