Barry Melrose honored by Kings: 'It was everything I hoped it would be and more'
Barry Melrose stood near the boards at Staples Center alongside his wife, Cindy, while Bob Miller talked about how he had players and fans dreaming about a Stanley Cup championship one day. And you have to dream first to believe.
Melrose became emotional as Miller recalled how Melrose was the first Kings coach to lead the organization to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993. And to allow Kings fans to believe anything was possible.
The Kings lost to Montreal 22 years ago, but two decades after that, Melrose, famous for that big laugh and bigger mullet, was here as a broadcaster with ESPN to watch his former team parade around the ice with the Stanley Cup.
When Melrose was behind the bench for the Kings, it was at the Forum and it was buzzing with Wayne Gretzky.
Melrose's coaching tenure with the Kings lasted from 1992-95 and now, he can always be seen smiling in those loud suits with that lovable, loud laugh on ESPN.
He's still so beloved here, and on Thursday, the Kings honored him before the game as the first of three Legends Nights. Luc Robitaille presented Melrose with a Graham watch.
Tony Granato and Robitaille will also be honored on Legends Nights this season.
Melrose first thanked his wife, whom he has been married to for 38 years, then told fans how much he loved coaching the Kings.
"When I was coaching, my biggest concerns were that I had to get Gretzky, (Luc) Robitaille and (Rob) Blake on the ice at least 30 minutes a night," Melrose said. "Those are the things I was worried about behind the bench. I had a great group of guys, a lot like these teams, they overachieved, they worked their butts off. I knew I was going to get a great effort every night. I knew whoever beat them would have to be at their best.
"When I got here in '93, Luc was the best left winger in the game. Blake was the best young defenseman in the game. (Marty) McSorley seemed to beat the crap out of a guy every two or three games. Dave Taylor was at the end of his career, but he meant so much to the team and was so important to us. And oh, by the way you got to watch (No.) 99 play 100 games a year. That wasn't a bad thing."
Those were good times.
Miller told fans how Melrose brought that championship vision.
"At the time it was something Kings fans thought they might never see, the Stanley Cup in L.A.," Miller said. "That coach was Barry Melrose. He and his players talked about winning the Stanley Cup. In fact, Barry said, 'If you're afraid to talk about the Stanley Cup, you'll never win it.' Now, all of us are very proud to come into Staples Center and look at the rafters and see two Stanley Cup banners."
Fans cheered.
Melrose, 58, chatted with reporters afterward, and there were only a couple of things he wished were different. He loved the day, that started with a dinner at Flemings at L.A. Live with fans. And he was happy Robitaille picked up the tab.
He just wished he could've looked up at three Kings championship banners in the rafters. It wasn't meant to be.
"You wish it was three, sitting on ice in L.A. and listening to Bob telling the story about 1993," Melrose said. "To be that close and work that hard, the type of team I had, the great guys I had, it's always hard. You always think about it. Every time I see the game on TV, I still think we're going to beat Montreal. Maybe one of these years we will."
Melrose described the day as: "Emotional. Surreal. Exciting. Nervousness. Blast. Lot of different emotions. Sadness. Nervousness."
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Melrose had many friends in attendance from New York, his co-worker Steve Levy, actor Kim Coates and more.
He remembers when the Kings couldn't figure out how to get hundreds of celebrities through the doors because demand was so high to see the Kings. Good problem to have.
He also recalled when opposing teams would focus on having fun and getting a sunburn in Los Angeles before heading back to the East Coast.
The Kings have won two of the NHL's last three Stanley Cups, and this is a serious stop on a road trip.
And a lovely place for Melrose to have his feet standing on that black carpet on the ice in Los Angeles, where he feels so at home.
"I did. It means a lot for me to be here," Melrose said. "It means a lot for me to say something in front of two NHL teams. This building and this town and this city was always great to me. I loved it here. My wife loved it here. We had kids here for three years. We enjoyed it. Every time we come back for the Finals, we always have a blast. I had to get through the thing for my wife without screwing that up. That was the most important part. I got through that and it was gravy after that."
Melrose said that Robitaille, the former King and president of business operations, approached him over the summer to ask if he would mind.
"I laughed at him and said, 'Remember me as a player? It's not just about being a player, Barry.' I jumped at the chance. It's been better than I hoped. It was everything I hoped it would be and more."
