Barry Melrose

Lore & Background

Melrose began his hockey career as a defenceman in the WCHL with the Kamloops Chiefs in 1974. He played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA, the Winnipeg Jets, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Detroit Red Wings, among others. He played 300 NHL games, scoring 10 goals with 23 assists and 728 penalty minutes. After retiring, he coached the Medicine Hat Tigers to a Memorial Cup title, the Adirondack Red Wings to a Calder Cup win, and the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. He later coached the Tampa Bay Lightning briefly. He joined ESPN as a guest analyst in 1994 and 1995, permanently in fall 1995, and returned after his Lightning stint. He retired from ESPN in October 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He joined the NHL Network as a contributor in September 2011.

In Their Own Story

The 1994 All-Star Game saw Barry Melrose behind the bench for the Western Conference. His team held an 8–6 lead in the third period, but the Eastern Conference rallied. Joe Sakic scored his first All-Star Game goal to cut the lead to 8–7, Bob Kudelski tied it with 6:01 left, and Alexei Yashin scored the game-winner with 3:42 remaining. Melrose's goaltender Curtis Joseph gave up the winning goal. Despite the loss, the Western Conference had earlier won the Skills Competition for the second straight season.

Reader's Guide

Barry Melrose is best known for coaching the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. He also coached the Medicine Hat Tigers to a Memorial Cup and the Adirondack Red Wings to a Calder Cup. He spent many years as a hockey analyst for ESPN and the NHL Network.

Did You Know?

• Melrose became an American citizen in March 1998.
• He is the cousin of former NHL players Wendel Clark and Joe Kocur.
• He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and retired from ESPN in October 2023.