Barry Melrose, NHL coach and journeyman defenseman who became a staple of ESPN’s hockey coverage, is diagnosed with Parkinson’s and will step away from the network

Barry Melrose, long-time ESPN hockey analyst and former Los Angeles Kings coach, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and will step away from the network, according to his former broadcast partner, John Buccigross.

‘I’ve worked with Barry at ESPN for over a quarter century,’ Buccigross wrote on social media. ‘Cold beers and hearty laughs in smokey cigar bars. A razor sharp wit, he was always early & looked like a million bucks. I love him. I’ll miss him.’

Best known for guiding Wayne Gretzky and the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens, the 67-year-old Melrose helped educate generations of American hockey fans as an ESPN analyst.

‘I said a thousand times over, I really enjoy playing for Barry,’ a 30-something Gretzky told reporters while playing for the Kings in the early 1990s. 

Melrose was a journeyman defenseman before being hired as LA Kings coach in 1992

Melrose (left) is pictured alongside Kings stars Wayne Gretzky (center) and Luc Robitaille

On Tuesday, ESPN released a tribute to Melrose, which was narrated by Gretzky himself.

‘Barry was hired to be our coach in LA in 1992 and he was just 35,’ the 62-year-old Gretzky said in the video. ‘He’d never coached a game in the NHL, but as soon as he took over, all we did was start winning. 

‘That first year we went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final,’ Gretzky continued. ‘But within a couple years of the 93 Final, Barry found his true calling.’

Gretzky was, of course, referring to Melrose’s arrival at ESPN, where he became the top studio analyst for the network’s budding NHL coverage. 

Melrose enjoyed success in LA (right), but struggled in a brief stint with Tampa Bay (left)

Although he did return to the bench for 16 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008-09, Melrose and his famous slicked-back mullet spent nearly three decades with the ‘World Wide Leader.’

Included among the clips ESPN used in his tribute video is one with NBA legend and TNT broadcaster Charles Barkley, who called Melrose: ‘The best analyst on television.’

The footage ends with an emotional Gretzky acknowledging Melrose’s diagnosis. 

‘And now he needs our support,’ Gretzky said with a broken voice. ‘And those in hockey are here for him.’