A few days ago, the NHL opened its regular season. ESPN began another year of coverage, this time with the sadness of knowing Barry Melrose was gone. Barry passed away a few weeks ago. Although he had stepped away from broadcasting in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he was still such a part of how so many of us thought about hockey on television.
I am a hockey fan, but I don’t cover hockey professionally. Outside of the occasional conversation on Mad Dog Radio during the playoffs or Stanley Cup Final, I don’t talk about it much for work. However, I have been a fan of the game, its speed and its physicality my whole life.
What’s been even neater is getting to see it through a family member. My brother-in-law, Brian Sutherby, lives in Nashville, close to us. He works in scouting for the NHL’s Washington Capitals and is a former NHL player himself. Since we became family, I have witnessed his transition from player to scout, including the ultimate joy of seeing the Capitals win the Stanley Cup.
Therefore, I may not cover hockey, but it’s never far away from me. In fact, I live maybe 18 minutes from Bridgestone Arena and worked for years in the SiriusXM studios located inside the building.
So yeah, hockey was never far away.
Anyway, a couple of days ago, I was shocked when my producer, Allie, told me ESPN’s Andrea Adelson had contacted her. ESPN’s Jon Fish, who is a listener to Full Ride, had asked Andrea to reach out. He figured Andrea would have Allie’s contact information because Allie has booked her on our show with Rick and me countless times over the years to talk ACC football.
As a fan of our show, Jon had heard me talking about Barry the day after he passed. Even though we aren’t a hockey show by any means, I wanted to say something.
Why? Because Barry touched my life.
When I was in college, I had obtained a list of phone numbers from my internship at Sporting News Radio. The book had countless numbers for famous athletes and coaches who had been guests on the network over the years. That book was such a cool thing to have as a college kid. The guys at Sporting News said it was OK for me to print it, and I treated all the numbers in there like the sports radio Bible.
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As a student at Middle Tennessee State from 2000 to 2004, I was watching hockey take root in the Midstate. With my Chicago roots, I loved the sport and played on the school’s roller hockey team for a couple of years.
The Nashville Predators were only a few years old, having begun play in 1998. I hosted a sports show with my buddy Mike Epley on the campus Channel 10 television station, MTTV. We called it The Best Sports Show, a play on the popular Best Damn Sports Show Period at the time.
We talked hockey, and one day we wondered if my little magic book could help us get some good guests.
Most times, we failed or were spoken to rudely. Understandably so. I learned quickly not to call Bobby Knight at home as a 20-year-old.
Woof!
One day, we were looking through the book and spotted the number for ESPN’s Barry Melrose. We took a shot.
He said yes.
He gave us an amazing interview, and afterward, he told us we could call him anytime. He loved that a couple of college kids in Nashville, down South, were talking hockey. He was happy to help whenever we needed him.
And yes, we took him up on it. Many times.
He was so amazing. Whether he knew it or not, a guy like him giving us his time meant everything.
It motivated me as a youngster. It made me believe I could do this media thing. It gave me confidence to interview people like him.
He didn’t have to do it.
That’s why I was shocked when Jon Fish asked for the audio of what I had said about Barry on Full Ride after he passed.
ESPN put together a beautiful tribute to Barry Melrose featuring some heavy hitters in the world of sports media, including Dan Patrick and Rich Eisen.
They also included me.
Can you believe it? In a tribute to a hockey legend.
Me, among giants?
Why? Because I told the story of what Barry did for me. It illustrated the man’s gentle heart and kindness.
I was so honored to be included because this was a tribute to a great man and a testimony to kindness and being good to people. He touched my life in a rather profound way without really knowing who I was or what I might eventually do.
Isn’t that incredible?
And to be included in his tribute means the world to me because it reminds me of my path and Barry’s part in it.
That brings me to yesterday’s Show Pony Live with Laura Rutledge.
Laura is that kind of person. She is kind and warm and helpful. I saw it firsthand early in her career, which is why I brought it up when she joined my podcast.
I watched her take time with a young college student named Sammi to encourage her. Yesterday, Laura even told me how she is helping a 12-year-old boy who sent her his broadcasting reel.
She is willing to help others. She told me on the podcast that she feels a responsibility to do that because people helped her.
Not everyone remembers that.
Laura is everywhere now. I met her when she was working the sideline of the Temple–Vanderbilt game in Derek Mason’s Vanderbilt debut back in 2014. She went from that to, honestly, being one of the faces of ESPN.
Her schedule is insane. She has two kids and a husband, Josh, who is the wind beneath her wings and helps make it all work. She is covering college football and the NFL, moving from one assignment to the next, with all the preparation and travel that come with it.
But above all else, she is grateful and happy to do what she does.
Just like Barry.
Willing to give back. Never too full of themselves despite their fame and notoriety. Grounded in the reality that they are no different from any of us, but fortunate to have unique opportunities and happy to pass down their knowledge and expertise.
People like that are special, and we need more of them.
We also need to celebrate them more. People who make time for others when their own lives are super busy. People who remember what it felt like to be the college kid hoping someone would answer the phone.
I try my best to do this for anyone who ever asks me. It’s important.
Because fame is one thing, but what is it really? An illusion if you let it get to your head. But it can also be a chance to make a difference in someone’s life.
Barry did that for me. Laura is doing that for others.
You may think you are giving someone a few minutes of your time. To the person on the other end, those few minutes can mean everything.
I’m still talking about mine more than 20 years later.
Laura and Barry understand the assignment.
Today is Laura Rutledge’s birthday, and I wish a happy birthday to one of the good ones.
And Barry, enjoy that beautiful hockey rink in the sky. Thank you for answering the phone.
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Great article Chris. I heard you on Full Ride talking about how much you like writing. It shows. Very enjoyable read.
Barry and Laura represent the "good" in this business. And that attitude of humility serves someone well in any situation.
You made me both laugh and cringe when you mentioned you learned not to call Bobby Knight at home. It brought back my own Bobby Knight memory, one that I had hoped was buried deep, deep down.
In my 50's I decided I wanted to be a sports photographer. Four years later I found myself in Madison Square Garden covering a college basketball game where Bobby Knight was working as a color commentator. After the game, I went up to him to just tell him how much I admired his career. I opened with "I just read Steve Alford's book about you and...." I stopped cold because the look on his face had so quickly changed from mild annoyance to a building storm. I couldn't seem to organize my words to tell him I thought it was a fair and positive portrayal and seconds went by. He suddenly gave me such a look of disgust that I think I actually backed up a step...lol...and he pushed by me and walked away.
I can only imagine how your phone call to him at home went.