Barry Melrose, former NHL broadcaster and coach, dies at 70

Barry Melrose, one of the most prominent analysts and ambassadors for hockey in the United States, died Wednesday at the age of 70, his wife Cindy told ESPN.

Melrose played 300 NHL games over six seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, and took the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final in his first year as a head coach. But his role as an ESPN studio analyst became his legacy in the sport. Countless American fans were raised on Melrose’s informative but informal segments — often with his longtime friend Steve Levy — during the 1990s and 2000s. With his loud suits and trademark slicked-back hair, Melrose helped bring hockey to a mainstream audience from 1996 until 2023, when he retired following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

This story will be updated.