It's the same old story, the same excuses, the same phrases. When Ken Hitchcock was fired from the Dallas coaching position, the Stars said it was because the players didn't respond anymore. They said that the team was performing worse than expected, and it is easier to replace one person than an entire team. The organization said Ken was a great guy, and they were sorry for having to let him go.

Fast forward just 72 hours to Monday. The Devils fired coach Larry Robinson. And the same stories came out of New Jersey. He's a great guy and we're sorry to let him go. The team just wasn't responding. It wasn't his fault. It is easier to replace one coach then a roster. We're sorry to have to let him go, but it was a move to benefit the team.

These are the typical stories that are heard when a coach is replaced. The stories may sound the same, however, both coaches were replaced for very different reasons.

First, there's Ken. In 1999 he led the Dallas Stars, under his system, to their first and only Stanley Cup. Under his six-year tenure, they won 5 straight division titles. He is leaving the Stars with his record 117 games above .500 at 277-160-60-6. So, what's the real reason he is leaving, because it obviously can't be his performance?

Hitchcock saw things one way and only one way, his way. If a player did not buy into his system, he was unsuccessful with the Stars and was eventually sent packing. Take a look at Donald Audette, or Valeri Kamensky. Both were acquired in the offseason, neither could adjust to Hitchcock, and both were traded.

It was not a secret fact that many players in the Stars dressing room despised Ken's ways. Most notably, goaltender Ed Belfour. At one point last season, he went home in the midst of a road-trip because, apparently, he and Ken Hitchcock got into a dispute. And this wasn't the first time that Eddie the Eagle publicly contested Hitchcock.

Then there was the tension between Ken and sniper Brett Hull, and many believe that this tension was one reason why the Stars did not resign Hull, and he is now in Detroit.

Hull and Belfour were not the only ones upset. They were probably just the only ones willing to come out with it publicly. There were many other Stars upset and grumbling behind the scenes. Therefore, if the Dallas Stars were to stay competitive, management probably realized no matter how good his record, Ken must go. And go he did, leaving the bench to a less strict, less set in his ways, Rick Wilson.

Just 3 days after Hitchcock was given the pink slip, legendary defenseman and Devils coach Larry Robinson was given the axe by GM Lou Lamoriello. Like Ken, Robinson had a great record in his 1 ¾ seasons behind the Devils bench. He took the Devils to their 2nd Stanley Cup championship in 2000, beating Hitchcock's team in the Finals. The next year, the team went within one game of the Cup, losing Game 7 to the Colorado Avalanche. His achievements in his short stay as the Devils head coach are worthy of praise, and yet, he too was let go.

Why was he released? The Devils have been stumbling along all season. In 2000, Lamoriello replaced Ftorek (now head coach of the Bruins) with 8 games left in the season, put in Robinson, and the team won the Cup. Why not try to pull that off again?

The difference between these two situations is that Ftorek was a strict disciplinarian and when Robinson was put in his place, the team felt liberated and played like it to. Robinson was a nice guy, who was patient with his players. All the players liked him, and therefore removing him will not make the Devils feel liberated again. Especially if you put in a taskmaster like Kevin Constantine has a reputation to be. These 2 moves will not have the same effect. Perhaps the Devils will play much better, but Robinson's firing can in no way be related to that of Ftorek's in 2000.

The Devils have had long postseasons two years in a row, and this year it would take much more to get them motivated, especially after such a bittersweet postseason in 2001. Larry Robinson was practicing patience with them, but he couldn't motivate them. He didn't want to order them around, but was waiting for them to turn themselves in the opposite direction. He was practicing patience, unfortunately Lamoriello's ran out faster than Robinson's. Enter Kevin Constantine.

So, all though the stories and excuses, and especially the timing, may be the same, the circumstances under which both occurred were very different.

Here are some things to think about: Both Larry Robinson and Ken Hitchkock were placed as head coaches mid-season. Both played on highly-respectable teams. Both won the Cup with their team, and made the finals the year after. One was fired because he was too strict, the other because he was the opposite.

So what happens now?