Barry Melrose was fired by the Los Angeles Kings in April 1995 with seven games left in the regular season. Thirty minutes later, ESPN signed him to work as a studio analyst for the upcoming NHL playoffs. That pivot defined the last three decades of his career.
Melrose, who died Wednesday at 70, spent nearly 30 years as the network's hockey voice, a mulleted, cigar-smoking presence who made the sport accessible to a broad American audience. The cause of death wasn't immediately available.