Press release:

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that goaltending coach Jeff Reese is no longer with the team, according to general manager Ron Hextall.

“It was a mutual agreement between both parties,” said Hextall. “Jeff was an integral part of our coaching staff for the past six seasons and we wish him well.”

Reese joined the Flyers in 2009 after eight seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning coaching staff, including the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup Championship.

The team will have no further comment.

Oh, terse.

I never understood why Reese was always spoken so highly of. He was here for six years and during that time was the position coach for Michael Leighton, Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky, Ilya Bryzgalov, Steve Mason, Ray Emery and a few others. Bryz was a bust, Bobrovsky left and then won a Vezina, Mason is inconsistent, and the others kinda stink (not Reese’s fault). If anything, his turning Leighton into a professional caliber goalie for three months might have been his finest achievement (still should’ve worked more on the near side though, eh?). But still, Reese was always spoken highly of in Flyers circles and I never understood it. Odd timing, though. He’s pulled some good performances out of Emery and Jim Morris Rob Zepp this year. Of course, he’s better than the useless Rejean Lemelin. You talk about overseeing a bunch of stiffs… talk about that guy.