ESPN pays tribute to Barry Melrose during season opener
Bob Wischusen and Erik Johnson remembered the longtime analyst during ESPN's Panthers-Hurricanes season opener.
ESPN paused its first NHL broadcast of the 2026-27 season on Tuesday to remember Barry Melrose, its longtime hockey analyst, who died Sept. 9 at age 70.
During the second period of the Florida Panthers-Carolina Hurricanes game, play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen spoke about Melrose's years as a player, coach and broadcaster. He called Melrose "one of a kind." Analyst Erik Johnson said he had admired Melrose since childhood and recalled being nervous when they first met when Johnson was 18.
Melrose joined ESPN after coaching the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. He later coached the Tampa Bay Lightning before returning to the network in 2009. Melrose retired from broadcasting in 2023 after announcing a Parkinson's disease diagnosis. The NHL has posted video of ESPN's on-air tribute.
