Scott Darling’s father passes away in accidental drowning in Memphis

The father of Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Scott Darling died last week in what the local sheriff’s department called an accidental drowning outside of Memphis, Tenn., the team confirmed to Canes Country today.

The Shelby County (Tenn.) sheriff’s office responded to Garner Lake in Lakeland, Tenn., a northeastern suburb of Memphis, on Monday, May 20 in response to a body that was found unresponsive in the lake. According to Fox 13 Memphis, the body was identified the next day as that of 56-year-old Scott Darling Sr. of Lakeland. The death remains under investigation, but preliminary indications from deputies are that the cause of death was an accidental drowning.

Darling, the Hurricanes goaltender, has been on the roster of the AHL Charlotte Checkers since clearing waivers in November. He took personal leave in February and March for unspecified reasons, later returning to the Checkers and serving as a backup goaltender to Alex Nedeljkovic and Dustin Tokarski during their playoff run. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell indicated last week at the season-ending press conference that no decision has yet been made regarding Darling’s future with the organization.

The Canes Country community offers its sincerest condolences to Darling and his family.