Slack_in_MA Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 I always found him a good listen and entertaining. RIP. 4 2 1 Quote
7+6=13 Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Oh no, hate to hear this. What a unique personality. He absolutely had a passion for hockey. Quote
FrenchConnection44 Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Very sad. I remember he had stepped away from ESPN due to Parkinson’s. Always liked him and his love for the game. Felt like a friend cause he was so real. And a colorful commentator. 70 is so young. Esp these days. RIP. 2 Quote
Sabres73 Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Good Sask boy like myself. I have buddies who played hockey with him when we were kids. RIP 2 Quote
Stads Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 I always loved the ESPN commercial with Rob Ray beating up the delivery guy. Melrose walks by as he's punching the dude and Ray goes, "Hey coach" 4 1 Quote
oddoublee Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Godspeed Barry. I remember you well from ESPN as a kid. Thanks! 1 Quote
shrader Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Parkinson’s at 70? That one hits a little too close to home. 1 Quote
Night Train Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 RIP - Awesome personality. God Bless. 2 Quote
Porous Five Hole Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Barry may have been the most well known tv analyst for US hockey broadcasts for 30 years. A pioneer for hockey on ESPN. Respect. 2 Quote
K-9 Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Always liked what he brought to the telecasts. Travel well, Barry Melrose. 2 Quote
R_Dudley Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 Prayers and well wishes to his family and close friends. Found memories of him coaching LA Kings with Gretzky in the Stanley Cup finals and like the werewolves of London(Ontario) his hair was always perfect (Mullet). 1 Quote
Eleven Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 I don't know which I liked better, "Mandy" or "Copacabana." But he'll be missed. 1 Quote
msw2112 Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 I always liked Melrose on ESPN. Very real and entertaining. He was good for the game of hockey. He was much better than most of the dreck that is on the network now. I still watch it, as they have the programming that I seek, but I'm very turned off by most of the current on-air personalities. Barry, you were missed the last few years when you weren't on the air, and now that you've passed you're truly missed. RIP Barry, and condolences to the Melrose family. 1 Quote
Taro T Posted September 10 Report Posted September 10 After the Drake Drake Maye Maye meltdown, on SportsCenter ESPN had a nice tribute to Melrose. Ran about 5 minutes of clips from him. Though Barry may be gone, the Mullet lives on. May he RIP. 1 Quote
That Aud Smell Posted September 11 Report Posted September 11 Loved Barry. A true hockey guy. RIP. 1 Quote
clink Posted September 11 Report Posted September 11 (edited) 23 hours ago, shrader said: Parkinson’s at 70? That one hits a little too close to home. $hit man, 70 still feels like a "too young" death, no? my mom just had a CVA (thank God my 12 year old is a wünderkind and in overhearing a convo his mother and I were having, recognized the symptoms, kept his cool, and contacted his mom. Got her from presenting symptoms to clot busted in under 60 minutes) and her mortality feels more real than ever, now 😢 Mind you, she's on the road to a pretty much full recovery, but FFS how many more years does she realistically have, as she's 78 next year? This life 💩 kinda sux Edited September 11 by clink 1 Quote
SwampD Posted September 12 Report Posted September 12 On 9/10/2026 at 6:40 PM, Taro T said: After the Drake Drake Maye Maye meltdown, on SportsCenter ESPN had a nice tribute to Melrose. Ran about 5 minutes of clips from him. Though Barry may be gone, the Mullet lives on. May he RIP. My wife called it the senior mullet and he wore it well. 1 1 Quote
LTS Posted September 14 Report Posted September 14 A good buddy of mine who works for RIT ran into him and Buccigross back when RIT was advancing in the Frozen Four. He hung out with them at the bar of the hotel for a long time. He could not have spoken more highly of Melrose. I always found him entertaining and certainly always doing it his way. Life throws crap at us all the time. All the more reason to appreciate what you have when you have it because you never know when you won't. 1 Quote
SabresfaninSB Posted September 16 Report Posted September 16 One of my all time favorite ESPN moments was when Chris Berman yells out Brian “Totally” Skrudland during a highlight show and you can hear Melrose laugh out loud. I wish I could find the video. It doesn’t sound like much but the laugh was so genuine and personal. Highlighted a time when ESPN felt more down to earth. 1 Quote
sabremike Posted September 16 Report Posted September 16 (edited) I worked for the Danbury Trashers as a game night intern and him and Levy owned our archival the Adirondack Frostbite. One time he was up in the 200's at the DIA and the infamous Section 102 spotted him and hit him with chants that I can't repeat here and he took it in stride. Pure class, a good man gone far too soon. RIP Barry. Edited September 16 by sabremike Quote
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