Dallas Stars: Ken Hitchcock, Ben Bishop Should Not Argue Outright

It’s difficult to keep anything under wraps these days, but the Dallas Stars definitely could benefit from some more discrepancy in their media relations.

Dallas Stars starting goaltender Ben Bishop was pulled from the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 24 and replaced with Kari Lehtonen. After Dallas lost the game 5-3, Bishop made some comments about Ken Hitchcock’s coaching decisions that left an air of animosity.

An obviously frustrated Bishop called out the coaching staff in a way that questions their decision-making abilities and how those affect the team overall.

In response, Hitchcock took to the press.

This back and forth between the bench boss and the main man in the crease is cause for concern. They’re a new duo – both having joined the Stars within the last few months – and showing signs of conflict this early on leaves space for other teams to question their dedication to the team game.

It’s hard for Hitchcock to preach about working together when he’s retaliating publicly through the media. And it’s difficult for Bishop to feel confident in the net when he’s constantly worried he’ll get pulled.

This combination of events isn’t something the Stars should continue. That might start with a conversation between Bishop and Hitchcock – which has hopefully already happened – or it could even be Dallas’ media team reaching out to him to explain that calling your coach’s decision-making into question in a post-game interview isn’t okay.

Next: Stars Should Follow Lehtonen's Hot Hand

Whatever they decide to be the next steps, the Stars have to present a united front. They have to remember that they’re on the same team. Calling each other out in a public way isn’t the avenue to express differences in opinion, and it definitely shouldn’t happen again.