# Barry Melrose, Kings coach and ESPN analyst, dies aged 70

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/barry-melrose-kings-coach-who-led-stanley-cup-bid-and-espn-hockey-icon-dies-at-70/
- Published: 2026-09-10T05:07:41+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-10T11:15:48+00:00

## Key points

- Former Kings coach and ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose has died, aged 70
- Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2023, prompting his retirement
- Known for mullet, flashy suits and nearly 30 years at ESPN

## Summary

Barry Melrose, the former Los Angeles Kings coach who became one of hockey's best-known television analysts, has died at the age of 70. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed the news, paying tribute to Melrose's distinctive style, from his mullet to his flared suits, and to his ability to deepen fans' love of the game both at the rink and on screen. A cause of death was not given, though Melrose had revealed in October 2023 that he was suffering from Parkinson's disease and was stepping back from his career to focus on his health and family.

Melrose led the Wayne Gretzky-era Kings to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final in 1993 before being sacked in 1995, after which he swiftly joined ESPN as an analyst, becoming a fixture of the network's hockey coverage for nearly three decades, including every Stanley Cup Final from 1994 to 2022 alongside broadcaster Steve Levy. He briefly left ESPN in 2008 to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning but was fired after just 16 games and returned to the network in 2009. Born in the small Saskatchewan farming town of Kelvington in 1956, he played 300 NHL games as a hard-hitting defenceman for Winnipeg, Toronto and Detroit before moving into coaching and broadcasting, where colleagues including Levy remembered him as "the unquestioned face and voice of hockey in the United States."

## Coverage

- [Deadline: Barry Melrose Dies: Gretzky-Era L.A. Kings Coach And Longtime ESPN Hockey Analyst Was 70](https://deadline.com/2026/09/barry-melrose-dead-los-angeles-kings-coach-espn-1237073079/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: Barry Melrose, Entertaining ESPN Hockey Analyst, Dies at 70](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/barry-melrose-dead-espn-hockey-analyst-1236696136/)

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