Barry Melrose’s name will always sit in a special place in hockey, and on Wednesday night the sport said goodbye to him at 70.
Melrose mattered in just about every corner of the game. He was a player, a coach, and later one of hockey’s most recognizable broadcasters, and the connection he built with fans came from the way he carried his love for the sport everywhere he went.
As a player, Melrose logged 300 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Detroit Red Wings. A defensive defenseman, he finished his NHL career with 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points. Before that, he spent time with the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA and also had AHL stints during and after his NHL playing days.
After his playing career ended, Melrose moved behind the bench and coached the Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning. His time as Lightning head coach came during the middle of his broadcasting career, but it did not last long. He went back to ESPN on January 1st, 2009, in order to cover the Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.
Broadcasting was where Melrose became a fixture for so many hockey fans. He joined ESPN permanently in 1995 as a color commentator and later became a frequent contributor to NHL Network. He kept going all the way through 2023 before retiring so he could spend more time with his family after a Parkinson's disease diagnosis.
One team, though, saw more of Melrose than any other during his NHL playing days: the Blackhawks. He appeared in 23 of his 300 NHL games against Chicago, which was one more than the 22 games he played against the Blues.
Melrose also had three career points against the Blackhawks. One of his 10 career goals came against Chicago while he was with the Maple Leafs, when he scored on Tony Esposito on March 22nd, 1982. Stew Gavin picked up the assist, and later that same day Melrose added one of his 23 career assists by helping set up a goal by Rocky Saganiuk.
His third point against Chicago came nearly a year later, on March 20th, 1983, when he assisted on a Peter Ihnacak goal against Murray Bannerman.
Melrose’s impact went far beyond the numbers, and the hockey world lost more than a familiar voice and face on Wednesday night. It lost someone who helped define the game for generations.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Sees A Bigger Michigan QB Problem Than Fans Realize
Urban Meyer spent part of The Triple Option Podcast looking beyond the usual chatter around Michigans quarterback room and zeroing in on what he sees as the real issue. He pointed to the relationship between head coach Kyle Whittingham and Bryce Underwood, but also noted that the young quarterback is still physically underdeveloped, which adds another layer to a situation fans have mostly framed as a simple depth-chart discussion.
Meyer also brought Tommy Carr into the picture as a possible source of competition, and his larger point was clear enough: Whittingham will lean on whoever gives the team the best chance to win. The early schedule only sharpens the pressure, because Meyer suggested a loss to Oklahoma could force significant changes around the team, leaving Michigans quarterback situation even more unsettled than it already looks. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Has A New Pass Rusher Facing His First Real Test
Dom Nichols wasted little time making his presence felt in his first start, setting the tone for Michigans edge rush in the opener against Western Michigan. The production was there, but so was the broader message from coaches and teammates, who have pointed to Nichols as a player whose physical and mental growth has quickly made him a factor in the defense.
Now the challenge gets bigger. Nichols is already looking ahead to Oklahoma and quarterback John Mateer, and he knows the next test will be a better measure of where his game stands against a skilled, experienced opponent. For Michigan, that makes Nichols one of the more interesting pieces to watch as the matchup gets tighter and the pass rush is asked to hold up under real pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Hockey Faces Disturbing Lawsuit Over What The Program Allowed
A federal lawsuit filed in Detroit has put a long shadow over Michigan hockey, with 16 former players accusing the program of tolerating ritualized sexual hazing from 1984 through 2001. The complaint says coaches and staff knew about humiliating and abusive initiation practices and allowed them to continue, naming longtime figures such as Red Berenson and Mel Pearson as part of the environment the plaintiffs say enabled the conduct.
The university has not yet formally responded, and the case now pushes beyond the sport itself into the question of how much a high-profile program can be held accountable for what happened inside it. The former players are seeking financial damages, along with prevention training meant to keep similar behavior from being repeated, leaving Michigan to confront a deeply serious allegation that reaches back across nearly two decades of its hockey history. [Read more 🡒]