Carolina Hurricanes goaltending coach Mike Bales has resigned his position and will not return to the team next season, the Hurricanes announced in a brief statement Wednesday morning.
No reason was given for Bales’ departure, which comes five days before the two-year anniversary of his hiring from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bales earned plaudits from most observers for his handling of the Hurricanes’ crease this past season. Both Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney credited Bales with his management of a goalie-by-committee system, and coach Rod Brind’Amour regularly told the media that he deferred to Bales to identify the starting goaltender for a given night’s game.