Former NHL coach Barry Melrose dies at 70
Barry Melrose, who coached the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, has died.
Melrose’s wife, Cindy, confirmed the news to ESPN on Wednesday.
Melrose was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023, leading to his retirement from ESPN. He joined the network for its hockey coverage in 1996.
The native of Kelvington, Sask., guided the Wayne Gretzky-led Kings to the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens in his first season as an NHL coach. The Kings hired Melrose after he won the Calder Cup the previous season with the Adirondack Red Wings.
The Kings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in an epic seven-game Campbell Conference Final in 1993, with Gretzky the hero in the final game at Maple Leaf Gardens.
The series was filled with tension, including former Leafs coach Pat Burns trying to get at Melrose on the Kings bench after Marty McSorley levelled Toronto star Doug Gilmour with an open-ice hit.
Melrose coached the Kings through 1995 before joining ESPN.
He returned to coaching for 16 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008.
Melrose also made his mark in broadcasting as one of the big personalities of ESPN’s hockey coverage.
After playing 335 NHL games as a defenceman, Melrose began his coaching career in 1987 when he led the Medicine Hat Tigers to the WHL title.
Gretzky paid tribute to Melrose upon his retirement at ESPN.
“He’s bigger than any team. 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.”
