Recently it was announced that longtime ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose was stepping away from his television duties after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Melrose had been working full-time at the network since 1996. During those years, he developed a working relationship with Dan Patrick. Earlier this week on The Dan Patrick Show, DP made a case for why Melrose should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“Barry Melrose should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game,” he said. “He was a former player, didn’t play long, then he was a coach. And he’s been an analyst at The Mothership. I never met a more professional person in my career at ESPN than Barry Melrose.”
Dan Patrick mentioned that during the time they worked together at ESPN, he never saw Melrose in anything but a suit. Barry’s commute to Bristol was over an hour each way, and Patrick noted that no matter what, Melrose always showed up to work in the suit he was wearing on television ready to roll.
DP praised Melrose for his willingness to appear on all ESPN platforms to talk hockey and for keeping the NHL relevant on SportsCenter with Steve Levy and John Buccigross during the days when ESPN didn’t prioritize the sport.
“You needed him on radio, you needed him on ESPNNEWS – whatever you needed – somebody to talk hockey and he was there,” he said. “And then they lost the rights to hockey, Barry Melrose and Steve Levy – those two singlehandedly – were keeping hockey highlights in the rundown on SportsCenter. John Buccigross also played a role as well, that they were fighting hard for that sport.”
“It cannot be overstated what Barry Melrose’s role was, and he was well-liked,” Patrick continued. “He did his homework, he cared passionately about it. I hope whatever time left he has he’s still able to enjoy the sport, watch the sport, be proud of the sport for all the great things that he’s done.”
Dan Patrick said similar to how he lobbied for broadcaster John Facenda to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award winner in 2021, he very much wanted the chance to give Melrose the honor of getting into the hall of fame for his sport.
“If there’s somebody out there who’s affiliated with the Hockey Hall of Fame, I’d be more than happy to speak on his behalf,” Patrick said.
