By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — NHL analyst Barry Melrose loved that Las Vegas became part of the major leagues of hockey in 2017.
But hockey fans in Las Vegas and across North America mourned Wednesday when news surfaced the former ESPN hockey commentator and ex-NHL head coach and player has died. Melrose was 70.
LVSportsBiz.com interviewed Melrose in a Washington, D.C. hotel when the Vegas Golden Knights played the Washington Capitals in the NHL Stanley Cup Final.
Melrose said Las Vegas brought a lot of energy and pizzazz to the NHL, which is seen as one of the more tradition-bound sports leagues. Las Vegas’ in-game entertainment and high-energy atmosphere during the 2018 Stanley Cup impressed Melrose.
“They brought the entertainment world into the hockey world,” Melrose said. “The city itself has become a hockey city. Everything they have touched so far has turned to gold.”
Melrose played in the minors with the Golden Knights’ first coach, Gerald “Spud” Gallant.
Melrose was known for his friendly nature, quick to chat with anyone about hockey.
National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman today released the following statement regarding Melrose:
“From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen. You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis, because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey.
“A rangy and rugged defenseman from Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Barry fashioned an 11-year pro career in the NHL, AHL and WHA. But it was as a coach, who guided the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, and as a broadcaster, who spent 27 years at ESPN, that he truly made his mark upon the game. And during those countless encounters over the years with players, coaches, fans and viewers who couldn’t help but be drawn in by his enthusiasm.
“We mourn the passing of a hockey original. And we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Cindy, their sons, Tyrell and Adrien, and all of his teammates, colleagues and admirers around the hockey world.”
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Take a look at the Strip’s busiest intersections on the Strip and any reasonable person has to ask how will Clark County, a Major League Baseball team and the local transportation agency figure out how fans will reach the A’s stadium at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue with the situation turning into a massive traffic jam.
LVSportsBiz.com walked the Strip at the intersection and even checked out the A’s stadium construction site from an MGM Resorts tram between Excalibur and Luxor hotels.
The RTC shuttle buses have been a successful and affordable $4 roundtrip ride for NHL Golden Knights and NFL Raiders games in the Strip entertainment corridor.
But who plops an MLB stadium at Las Vegas’ busiest intersection with about 100,000 vehicles passing through an intersection that will host a $2 billion domed ballpark with a capacity of 33,000 people?
Clark County approved the location. As if the county commissioners had a choice. The A’s worked out a deal with the landowner and the owner of the former Tropicana hotel at the site. MGM Resorts International, the LVCVA and the hotel industry said do it. And there’s a stadium being built in the heart of Las Vegas’ main economic artery.
The Las Vegas Stadium Authority was in charge of overseeing the stadium built by the Raiders in 2020 and the baseball stadium currently under construction by the A’s. The board, which is supported administratively by the LVCVA, has not discussed the infrastructure that will need to be built to support a stadium being built at Las Vegas’ busiest corner. Fans reaching a stadium in Las Vegas became news when the Raiders said they need to build a $158 million plaza for its six-year-old football stadium because of pedestrian flow crowding. The Raiders also were approved for another $75 million in public dollars to help build the $158 million plaza entrance on the stadium’s north side next to Hacienda Avenue.
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Speaking of plazas, T-Mobile Arena’s plaza has a new name. Under a naming rights deal announcement, Toshiba Plaza is now known as Paramount+ Plaza.
Here’s a look at the plaza at T-Mobile Arena today.
The Paramount+ signage is already up.
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The Raiders PR say Allegiant Stadium was awarded a SAFETY Act Designation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
PSA