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Behind the Scenes

Rest In Peace Barry Melrose

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I think everyone has a Barry Melrose story.

For me, I only met Barry once. It was in 2017, at what was then named Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, New York. The year prior, Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Strader was diagnosed with cancer. Dave was most commonly known for his national play-by-play work and I’m sure he called a ton of Kings games throughout his time with ESPN and NBC, just as Barry did. Dave got his start in the same place that I did, though, right there in Glens Falls. Dave was a Glens Falls native and the longtime voice of the Adirondack Red Wings, before moving on to the NHL. During his playing career, Barry spent a few seasons skating in Adirondack and was a part of the 1986 Adirondack Red Wings team that won a Calder Cup. He won another as the team’s Head Coach a few years later in 1992. Both were members of the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame, two of the best to ever come through such a small yet meaningful city to so many.

In 2017, the Thunder honored Dave with a ceremony in September where we named the press box in his honor. Dave was in a fight, one which had taken its toll on him. That day, though, there were moments when it didn’t feel like it. Glens Falls wasn’t exactly in the way for people trying to make it but Barry was there. He wouldn’t have missed it. His personality was a lightning rod for so many in attendance. Everyone wanted to talk to him and he obliged. But he wasn’t there for that kind of attention. He was just there for his friend, Dave, who he got to know in Upstate New York. A relationship that grew over the years. It was a really special day for everyone involved. Dave unfortunately passed away the following month. If you look back at his social media, some of his final posts were from that day in Glens Falls. It meant a lot to him that Barry was there.

Most people, publicly, know Barry for his flair and his personality. As they should. One of the most iconic mullets in hockey who made the game cool on a network that didn’t often give it the time of day. I certainly knew him long before meeting him that day in 2017. He certainly had that flair and personality. I’ll always remember that moment in Glens Falls, though. A special embrace with Dave when Barry arrived. Dave being honored, Barry in the front row with the biggest smile. He was one of many people who spoke that day and he spoke so glowingly of Dave when he did. It was an emotional day. I never knew Barry the way that I am sure so many did. But to see how invested he was that day, how he went out of his way to show up, was something that always stuck with me. It was mid-September and when you’re around the NHL, you’ve got places to go, people to see and things to do in mid-September. Barry showed up anyways. Think it said a lot about who he was. I am sure it’s one of countless moments and memories that people have of someone special and I look forward to hearing many more of them as the tributes flow in.

It was after Barry’s time in Adirondack, winning the Calder Cup as Head Coach in ’92, that he took his talents to Los Angeles. You don’t need me to tell you what came next. He was behind the bench for the team’s first ever conference championship and first ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. His tenure in Los Angeles, while it ended a couple of seasons later, marked the high point to that moment in Kings franchise history. For me, as someone from Upstate New York, as I studied and learned about hockey, that journey started in Glens Falls. For so many in Los Angeles, for a long, long time, that season was as close as they got to experiencing the ultimate prize.

For me, Barry was always the intersection of where I was from and where I wanted to go. People from Upstate New York took a lot of pride when they’d see Barry on Sports Center, talking about hockey. The guy who made hockey cool used to live in Glens Falls. I was too young to have watched him play or coach but so many weren’t. Barry was always a remember when moment for many in my area. When I got to Glens Falls, it went double. Someone who made quite an impact on the people around him, all around the country.

I think that’s part of the beauty of Barry Melrose. Some know him as a player. Some know him as a coach. Many more know him as that guy on ESPN with the sick hair. Lots of different ways Barry Melrose impacted the game of hockey and the game is better because he was a part of it.

Rest In Peace, Barry. Sending my condolences to his family during an awful time.

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