Longtime Hockey Analyst Barry Melrose Leaving ESPN After Parkinson’s Diagnosis

deadline.com:

Barry Melrose, who has served as an NHL analyst at ESPN for nearly three decades and coached Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, is stepping away from the network after a Parkinson’s diagnosis.

His longtime friend and network colleague John Buccigross revealed the news on social media — hours before the 2023-24 NHL season begins. “Barry Melrose has Parkinson’s disease and is stepping away from our ESPN family to spend more time with his,” Buccigross wrote on X/Twitter. “I’ve worked with Barry at ESPN for over a quarter century.

Cold beers and hearty laughs in smokey cigar bars. A razor sharp wit, he was always early & looked like a million bucks.

I love him. I’ll miss him.” His post also includes a long video tribute to Melrose featuring Gretzky, who played four seasons under him. “My friend Barry Melrose, he’s bigger than any team,” The Great One says in the clip of the man long known for his natty attire. “For decades he’s been suiting up — and I mean suiting up — for the game, for the sport, for hockey.” NEWS:Barry Melrose has Parkinson's disease and is stepping away from our ESPN family to spend more time with his.