A combative right-winger with an above average scoring touch, Scott Mellanby entered his 19th NHL season in 2002-03. Over the years, he reached the 20-goal mark eight times and was valuable team leader who often played his best hockey in the post-season. He came by his love of the game honestly as his father, Ralph, was the executive producer of "Hockey Night In Canada" for 19 years.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Mellanby starred in Toronto with the Don Mills Flyers and Henry Carr Crusaders. After being chosen 27th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, he joined the University of Wisconsin for two seasons. Following the 1985-86 college season, the young winger turned pro and played two games with the Flyers at the end of the season.
The hard-working youngster scored eleven goals and played solid defensive hockey under Mike Keenan in 1986-87. He also contributed ten points when the club reached the Stanley Cup finals that spring. Mellanby's scoring touch and diligent effort all over the ice made him one of the Philly's top players. In August 1989, he suffered a major setback when he suffered severe nerve and tendon damage to his forearm while coming to the aid of a friend in a barroom incident. He recovered to play two-thirds of the 1989-90 season but was not the same player.
On May 30, 1991, Mellanby was involved in a multi-player deal with the Edmonton Oilers that saw veteran Jari Kurri end up in Philadelphia. The robust forward scored 82 points over two years with the Oilers and helped Edmonton reach the semi-finals in 1992. After the Florida Panthers claimed him at the 1993 Expansion Draft, Mellanby became a regular with the club for seven and a half years.
Mellanby scored 30 goals for the Panthers in 1993-94 and helped them set a new NHL record for an expansion club with 83 points. Two years later, he was an offensive and emotional leader on the young club when it marched all the way to the Stanley Cup final. During this time, he inspired the fans' tossing of toy rats on to the ice after he killed a stray rodent with his stick in the club's dressing room. As the team struggled in the late 1990s, the classy veteran continued to battle. In February 2001, the powerful St. Louis Blues acquired him as they readied themselves for the playoffs. Mellanby scored three goals while helping the club reach the Western Conference championship.
Injuries plagued Mellanby's 2001-02 season, limiting him to 64 games. In 2002-03 he returned to form scoring 26 goals and 57 points while racking up 176 minutes in penalties before signing as a free-agent with the upstart Atlanta Thrashers in the summer of 2004.
As a member of the Thrashers, Mellanby would be named Captain in only his second season with the club. That season he would help the Thrashers reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, only to be swept in four games by the New York Rangers.
Following post-season elimination Mellanby officially retird from the game on after 1,431 regular-season games.
