For 27 years, Barry Melrose defined hockey for American audiences. He died Wednesday at 70. "For more than 30 years, Barry was the unquestioned face and voice of hockey in the United States," said Steve Levy, his close friend and colleague at ESPN.

From 1996 until his retirement in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Melrose was hockey's greatest ambassador on sports television's most important platform. Whether or not ESPN had the NHL's broadcasting rights, Melrose was breaking down highlights on "NHL 2 Night" or trading barbs on "PTI." Hearing that roaring laugh, seeing an audacious suit, meant it was time for hockey talk.

"When you think about Barry Melrose, you think about ESPN. He was a legend of the game of hockey," Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel said. "You think about the hair. You think about the personality. You think about the wild suit jackets. He will be missed."

Melrose was a lifeline for American hockey fans. John Buccigross, his on-air partner for decades, called him "a big-brother figure of rock-solid values." Levy added: "Now he can drink all the Bud Lights and smoke all the cigars and play all the rounds of golf he wants to. Barry Melrose was the best of us."