Barry Melrose, former NHL coach and longtime hockey analyst, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

Melrose coached parts of four seasons in the NHL and spent more than two decades as an analyst

By Austin Nivison Oct 10, 2023 at 5:02 pm ET• 1 min read

Former NHL coach and beloved hockey analyst Barry Melrose has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, ESPN's John Buccigross announced Tuesday. As a result, Buccigross will be stepping away from his role with ESPN prior to the 2023-24 season.

Just hours before the puck dropped on opening night, Buccigross posted about Melrose's diagnosis on social media. He also posted a video narrated by Wayne Gretzky that highlighted Melrose's contributions to the game as a player, coach and TV personality.

NEWS:
Barry Melrose has Parkinson's disease and is stepping away from our ESPN family to spend more time with his. 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… pic.twitter.com/gjjSAEuG2s

— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) October 10, 2023

Melrose began his NHL career as a player on the Winnipeg Jets in the 1979-80 season. He went on to play a total of six seasons with the Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. In that time, Melrose totaled 10 goals, 23 assists and 728 penalty minutes.