Contract expired, Mel Pearson remains Michigan's hockey coach

Michigan hockey coach Mel Pearson remains as head coach despite his original five-year contract expiring Saturday without an extension in place.

It is unusual for a head coach to work without a contract, which has led to speculation about Pearson’s future at Michigan. There’s also the added weight of an outside law firm, hired by the university, investigating multiple allegations of misconduct within the hockey program.

In February, university spokesman Rick Fitzgerald wrote in a statement to The Detroit News that he would neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation because it is the school’s policy not to comment. But Pearson confirmed the investigation to the Michigan Daily,…