Barry Melrose has been fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning after only five months in charge of the NHL club. Melrose had joined the club after working as a commentator for the popular American television channel, ESPN, for thirteen years.

The coach did, however, have previous experience in the world of ice hockey, having coached Los Angeles for three years in the early 1990s. Furthermore, his time at Los Angeles had brought some success: in 1992, he had managed to lead the team to the finals of the Stanley Cup although they were eventually unlucky to lose to Montreal.

The announcement of Melrose’s departure from Tampa Bay Lightning has come after a poor run of form in the NHL. With sixteen games already played this season, the officials at the Lightning decided to take swift action and bring an end to Melrose’s reign at the club.

The Lightning have suffered three straight defeats and are now in fourth position in the Southeast Division. Furthermore, they have scored the least goals in the entire NHL.

The general manager of the club, Brian Lawton, has revealed that the decision to fire Melrose was “tough” to make, particular since the respected figure in the world of ice hockey is a “good man”.

Despite the positive personality traits possessed by Barry Melrose, the club’s poor form remains undeniable and Lawton echoed this sentiment by stating that “the results were unacceptable”. The blame for the recent slump was not placed solely on the coach, with Lawton expressing his desire for the players to “understand that we need to be better”.

The previous assistant to Melrose, Rick Tocchet, will take charge of the club temporarily, whilst officials conduct a search for a permanent head coach.