NHLPA says comments from Stars CEO about Benn, Seguin were ‘reckless and insulting’
The back-and-forth verbal battle between the CEO of the Dallas Stars Jim Lites and the team’s two top players has drawn the bulk of the attention in NHL headlines over the last weekend.
On Sunday, the NHLPA acknowledged that they were also very aware of the situation and released a statement speaking out against the profanity-laced tirade voiced by Lites.
NHLPA statement on Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites’ comments about Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn: pic.twitter.com/S4CzyKRUmh
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) December 30, 2018
On Friday, Lites went on record with reporters about the state of the team, calling out star players Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin for their roles on the team as Dallas could be in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
“They are f—ing horse-s—, I don’t know how else to put it,” Lites said to The Athletic. “The team was ok. But Seguin and Benn were terrible.”
On Saturday, Benn responded, “I don’t play for him. I play for every player in this room, the coaching staff. I come to the rink, and like I said, I am proud to be a Dallas Star and I am proud to go out every night and battle with these guys in games.”
The Stars currently sit in the 2nd Wild Card spot of the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Vancouver Canucks for the final playoff position. Seguin leads the team in assists with 22 and points with 33, while Benn leads the squad with 15 goals and has posted 30 points in 39 games.
The tirade is highly unlikely to lead to the Stars pair being on the move any time soon. Benn is in the second season of an eight-year contract, while Seguin’s own eight-year contract extension begins next season.
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