Dear Dave, All Athletes Are Not Created Equal

Someone please check Dave Tippett for fever. Surely, he is delirious. How else do you explain demoting the man who is not just your best player, but your only true superstar, and the face of your franchise to the fourth line? That ought to be a fireable (is that a word?) offense!

Lookit. This notion that all athletes are created equal is just poppycock. We all know better. There are the worker bees, the stars, the superstars, and the transcendent athletes. Mike Modano, arguably the greatest American-born offensive player in NHL history, is, for the Dallas Stars at least, a transcendent player.

Whenever the Stars do a radio spot or a TV spot or a billboard, who do you think they feature? When they take a prospective free agent to dinner, which player do you think they assign to schmooze with him? When they are trying to pump up season ticket sales, who do you think they promote? Mighty Mo is more than a nice player. He is the heart and soul of that team.

It was insulting enough a couple years ago when they ripped the "C" off his chest. Now, they decide to send him a "message" by demoting him? Moronic. And that excuse about putting him down there to work on his game is just as lame. How does a scorer improve his scoring by skating with a couple guys who are barely good enough to make the ice at that level?

You don't put Joe Montana on the scout team. You don't make Walter Payton or Michael Jordan come off the bench. And you don't friggin' send Mike Modano to the fourth line. And if you do...you should be a) fired, b) closely examined, and c) committed to the loony bin.

Good thing no one in Dallas really gives a damn about hockey anyway.