TAMPA, Fla. – Wow, that was fast. Almost as suddenly as it started, the Barry Melrose experiment in Tampa Bay is over. Friday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning fired former ESPN analyst and NHL coach Melrose just 16 games into his first season back behind the bench since 1995. Associate Coach Rick Tocchet takes over the team as Head Coach on an interim basis effective immediately. A close personal friend of new Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie, Melrose’s team struggled to a 5-7-4 record despite the drafting of number one pick Steven Stamkos and the ownership’s free agent spending frenzy that almost completely overhauled the roster. In a release sent out by the team, Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Lawton called the move “a tough decision to make” but said that a change had to be made at this point. “Barry is a good man and we have a great deal of respect for him. We wish him nothing but success,” Lawton said. “However, the results were unacceptable and the players have to understand that we need to be better. Hopefully this change helps push them.” Melrose, the sixth head coach in the franchise’s history, was named to the position back in June following the sale of the team and the subsequent firing of John Tortorella. It was Melrose’s first time as a bench boss since his three season stint with the Los Angeles Kings from 1992-1995 which included a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Prior to joining the Lightning, he had been ESPN’s lead hockey analyst. Tampa Bay has struggled mightily to find its game early in the season. Despite the offensive firepower of players such as captain Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis along with free agent signees Mark Recchi, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and Vinny Prospal, the Lightning have yet to play consistently. Tampa is currently mired in a three-game losing streak that includes a lackluster loss to the Florida Panthers and a one-goal loss to the Detroit Red Wings after blowing a 2-0 lead. The team is 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. The writing may have been on the wall for everyone to see this past Tuesday. The St. Petersburg Times reported that prior to Tampa’s practice that day, Melrose held a meeting with the players before leaving the arena, allowing Tocchet to run the session. Tocchet, 44, is in his first season with Tampa. He had been an assistant coach for Colorado for one and a half seasons beginning in 2002. He joined Wayne Gretzky behind the Phoenix bench in 2005. His time in Phoenix was interrupted by his involvement in a gambling investigation which caused the NHL to suspend him. He was reinstated in 2008. “As for Rick Tocchet, we think this is a great opportunity for him and we believe he’s the type of coach who can take the team to the next level,“ Lawton said. “Our players have a great deal of respect for him.” Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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