Melrose re-enters NHL as new coach of Lightning

[Bucamaniac40]

ESPN.com news services

TAMPA, Fla. -- Barry Melrose is returning to the NHL after 12 years as ESPN's hockey analyst, becoming coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Melrose replaces John Tortorella as the hiring Tuesday ended weeks of speculation that the former Los Angeles Kings coach was the choice by the Lightning's new owners.

Tortorella was fired June 3, four years after leading Tampa Bay to its only Stanley Cup championship. The Lightning missed the playoffs this spring for the first time since 2002, finishing with the league's worst record.

Melrose coached Los Angeles from 1992 to 1995. He helped the Wayne Gretzky-led Kings to the Stanley Cup finals in his first season. He joined ESPN as an analyst in 1996.


Blunder & Lightning

Welcome back to the NHL, Barry Melrose. In Tampa Bay, there are many facets of the Lightning's game in need of improvement:

2007-08 NHL ranks Rank
Wins 31 Last
Points 71 T-29
Goals for 223 T-17
Goals against 267 29th
PP Pct. 19.3 5th
PK Pct. 82.1 18th

"I wanted the challenge again. I wanted to find out if I can still do it," Melrose said at a news conference. "I miss it. I've missed it since I left. I miss, the term I use is having a dog in a fight. I'm not a bystander. I've never been a bystander in my life. I hate to be a guy on the outside looking in. I want to be on the inside again."

At Tuesday's news conference, Melrose said Coyotes assistant Rick Tocchet and former Minnesota Wild center Wes Walz would join his staff.

Tocchet, 44, played 18 seasons in the NHL but as a coach was involved in a gambling investigation and left the team for two years. Tocchet's contract with Phoenix expires at the end of this month.

Walz retired in 2007 after 13 NHL seasons.

On Monday, the primary investors in a group buying the Lightning said they have no intention of moving the team and will be "shockingly aggressive" in trying to improve the club.


Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

[GA Cat Fan]

As of this past week, Tampa has agreed to partner with the Augusta Lynx (my hometown team) as their ECHL affiliate.

As a Lynx fan, I hope this will benefit all. Along with the Lightning, we pick up a new AHL affiliate in Norfolk. The last 2 or 3 seasons, we were with Portland (AHL) and Anaheim (NHL).

http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app/?s...ticleid=368960