ESPN honors longtime analyst Barry Melrose with touching tribute as 2026-27 NHL season opens

The network released a touching tribute to Melrose ahead of opening night, just weeks after he died following a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Melrosse was perhaps the most recognizable hockey broadcaster in the country. But before he joined ESPN, where he was for nearly three decades, Melrose spent seven seasons in the NHL. He played for the Winnipeg Jets , Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings as a defenseman, and picked up an incredible 728 penalty minutes in his 300 career games.

Melrose briefly served as a head coach in the league, too. He most notably led Wayne Gretzky during the Los Angeles Kings ' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, and finished with an 84-108-29 record.