Barry Melrose: Minnesota high school hockey "better than I thought it was" – TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Barry Melrose made his inaugural trek to the Minnesota boys state hockey tournament this week.

His instant reaction: “Great.”

“I knew it would be,” Melrose said Saturday. “I know what kind of hockey town St. Paul is.”

What Melrose underestimated was the quality of the hockey he would see.

“The high school hockey is better than I thought it was,” he said. “The product on the ice is great.”

Melrose, a former NHL player and coach who serves as an analyst for ESPN and NHL Network, was in town to work on a feature on the tournament for the ESPN show E:60. He talked to numerous kids about their hairstyles, spent time exploring Hermantown’s six-game losing streak in the state championship game (a string the Hawks snapped Saturday) and had a little time on the side to take in some hockey.

“There’s some great hockey players out there, some great skaters,” Melrose said. “I’m very impressed with the systems they’ve played. They’re very well-coached. So it’s been an awesome couple days here.”

Melrose recognized the fact that he might see the same players he saw this week playing in the NHL in a few years.

“The athlete makes the product,” he said, “and we’ve got a lot of great athletes here in this tournament.”

Melrose said his favorite part of the experience was his interactions with the players.

“I just love being around them,” he said. “I love the energy they have, how much fun they have. The vast majority will not make a dollar from playing hockey, but that doesn’t matter. They’re playing their butts off here every game, the crowd is into it. … It’s just a fantastic venue.”

He said he’d love to make a return trip to the tournament at some point.

“I’ve had a blast,” Melrose said. “I enjoyed the city, I like being in a place where hockey is the No. 1 sport, which it certainly is here in Minnesota. That’s a fun thing to be around, so I would love to come back to the tournament.”