Beloved ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose passes away at 70

[p]Melrose, aka Mr. Cool as the Rule, joined the network in 1996. He stayed with ESPN, working alongside Steve Levy and John Buccigross, until his 2023 retirement after being diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. [/p][embed guid="64a196cb-6224-4ead-a6cd-5a85a2b30451" url="https://x.com/Buccigross/status/2097850124194185723?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]After spending one year in the SJHL with the Weyburn Red Wings, two seasons in the WCHL with the Kamloops Chiefs, and one in the AHL as a member of the Springfield Indians, Melrose was drafted 36th overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. [/p][p]He would spend three seasons with the Cincinnati Stingers before eventually making his way to the NHL when he joined the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/winnipeg-jets/r3L8pAaJ/"]Winnipeg Jets[/a] for the 1979 season, before being dealt to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toronto-maple-leafs/ShE7Z8G3/"]Toronto Maple Leafs[/a] the following season, where he stayed for the next two years. [/p][p]Melrose finished his career with two seasons on the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/detroit-red-wings/dnJdmCF0/"]Detroit Red Wings[/a], putting up 10 goals and 23 assists in exactly 300 games as an NHL defenseman. [/p][p]Later on, Melrose became NHL coach for four seasons, finishing with a 79-101-29 record. He took the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-kings/CIDo8i2o/"]Los Angeles Kings[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gretzky-wayne/lGIwJAJ5/"]Wayne Gretzky[/a] to the Stanley Cup Final during his first of three seasons (1992-1994) with the team before coaching 16 games for the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tampa-bay-lightning/YVE3zk1c/"]Tampa Bay Lightning[/a] in 2008 after being a bench coach. [/p][p][b]"He's bigger than any team," [/b]said Gretzky on Melrose's. [b]"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."[/b][/p][embed guid="da3a4ce9-faaf-416a-88f5-08f8944c4e5e" url="https://x.com/ESPNPR/status/2097854350018363651?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]