[Dion]

Look, Brad understands every veteran eventually meets with a healthy scratch. What upsets me is the ingratitude reflected in Tortorella's remark the other day in the New York Post. "Sometimes it's not all about Brad." That was uncalled for.

I realize that once a player signs a big contract, he'll rarely ever be the golden boy again in the eyes of the spectator. In the new salary cap world the players look around the room at the big money makers and question whether that players' cap slice is costing the club.

But for Tortorella not to respect what Brad has done reminds me of a thoughtless Mike Keenan publicly ripping Wayne Gretzky in 1996 when Detroit beat St. Louis. Mike had his 1994 Cup ring, and forgot it was the players who had secured it. Mike later apologized to Gretzky, but the damage was done and Wayne later signed with New York.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/...ortorella.html