The Man, The Myth, The Mullet

I'm a big fan of Barry Melrose. He reminds me of the Canadian guys I went to college with. Big, Good natured, fun loving, slightly goofy hoseheads that loved hockey, beer and a good time. I think Barry's hockey work at ESPN has been excellent, I know he hasn't been everyone's cup of tea but he's been mine and I was really hoping that he would end up over at OLN as part of their hockey coverage. That however will not be the case because Melrose has decided to stay with ESPN.

OLN and the NHL recently agreed to a two-year, $135-million contract that includes 58 games this season, mostly on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Melrose, though, decided to stay with ESPN and be an NHL analyst on SportsCenter and ESPN Radio.
"It's the greatest sports company in the world and it's the place I want to be,'' he said. "Hopefully, down the road, the NHL will return to ESPN."

I really love the fashion disasters that he comes up with. It seems like he could care less about what people think and he just goes for it. It's that classic over-the-top sportscaster style that Don Cherry and others have traditionally gone for over the years. Barry simply brings his own little wacky twist to it. I would've loved to see it continued on the OLN... along with his great hockey analysis.

Plus, the guy hates the trap and I love anyone who hates the trap. How can you not?

Melrose, ESPN hockey analyst, criticizes the trap for watering down an NHL product that has seen its goals-per-game average plummet from eight in 1981 to just more than five in 2003-04. He says smart coaches can break the trap and make it obsolete.
"The last seven or eight years of our league, the games on TV have been terrible to watch," Melrose said. "People want to see goals, speed and excitement. Everyone has to open up on offense."

Us fans of the Mystic Mullet Man (trust me, he is the King of the Hockey Mullet) will simply have to continue watching for his sporadic appearances on ESPN. In addition to whatever NHL analysis they'll have him do he also will be part of ESPN's College Hockey coverage which I believe will be 15 games this season.