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Barry Melrose, Gretzky-Era Kings Coach and ESPN Analyst, Dies
Barry Melrose was a hockey player, coach, and television analyst.
He died on Wednesday at age 70.
He coached the Los Angeles Kings when Wayne Gretzky played for the team.
In 1993, the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time.
Melrose later became one of ESPN’s best-known hockey voices.
He worked there for almost 20 years.
In 2023, he left ESPN after saying he had Parkinson’s disease.
His friends and coworkers remembered him as a kind and beloved person who loved hockey.
Barry Melrose, who coached the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings, died Wednesday at age 70.
Melrose led the Kings to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1993.
He joined ESPN in 1994 and became a prominent hockey analyst for nearly two decades.
Melrose retired from ESPN in 2023 after announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
He also played in the NHL and coached teams to Memorial Cup and Calder Cup championships.
- Who
- Barry Melrose, a former hockey player, coach, and ESPN analyst, died at age 70.
- What
- Melrose died after a career spanning professional hockey, coaching, and broadcasting.
- Where
- The report identifies Melrose’s hockey work with the Los Angeles Kings, ESPN, and teams in North America; it does not specify where he died.
- When
- Wednesday, September 10, 2026.
- Why
- The article does not state a cause of death; Melrose had previously disclosed a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and retired from ESPN to focus on his health and family.
Key facts
- Age
- 70
- Los Angeles Kings coaching
- Led the team to its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1993
- ESPN career
- Joined ESPN in 1994 and worked as a prominent hockey analyst for nearly two decades
- Health disclosure
- Announced a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis before the 2023-24 NHL season
- Playing career
- Played in the NHL from 1979 to 1986 and in the WHA from 1976 to 1979
- Other coaching role
- Coached 16 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008-09
Quotes
John Buccigross
ESPN hockey broadcaster and Melrose’s longtime colleague
“Barry was my best friend at ESPN. 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.”
deadline.com
“For more than 30 years Barry was the unquestioned face/voice of hockey in the United States. He was a man of the people, a family man, a part of my family. Tonight I’ll toast the kid from Kelvington who made it big but never forgot his roots. Now he can drink all the Bud Lights, smoke all the cigars and play all the rounds of golf he wants to. Barry Melrose was the best of us.”
deadline.com
Sources
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