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Colin Campbell has a thankless job and works very hard at it.

That said, the NHL's executive vice president and director of hockey operations would do well for the league if he and his partners opened the door a little bit on the discipline practices of the league.

When Steve Ott was suspended three games Wednesday for a Sunday hit on Colorado's Jordan Leopold, the league didn't tell anyone exactly why. The NHL had a brief release in which Ott was suspended for a dangerous hit to the head – something the league has said it will crack down on this year.

Ott was not penalized on the play, so fans (and even Ott) are left to wonder exactly what he did wrong. Did he leave his feet and launch himself into Leopold (boarding)? Did he take too many strides and go in at full speed on a player in a dangerous position (charging)? Did he connect in the head with his elbow (elbowing)? We don't know. The league will not discuss suspensions or the process involved in reviewing them. That's the policy, and the theory is that any discussion over the process can only lead to complications and problems.

So we are left to ask all sorts of questions, like why three games? Is it because of the injury Leopold suffered? He was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms and missed a game, but Ott said he was told at the hearing that Leopold was symptom-free on Tuesday. And if injury is the reason for the three-game suspension, then how is it that Philadelphia's Randy Jones only got a two-game suspension for a hit on Boston's Patrice Bergeron that knocked Bergeron out for the season?

And what of other hits in other games? Did the league review the hit of Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet on Brenden Morrow earlier in the season? Did it review the hit of Colorado defenseman Jeff Finger on Morrow in Saturday's game? The league this season instituted a major penalty for interference to allow for serious punishment when a player puts another player in danger with a hit away from the puck. If Finger's hit doesn't fall under that criteria, then what does?

My guess is that Campbell looked at the elbow that Philadelphia's Riley Cote put to the head of Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen earlier in the season and decided the two plays were fairly similar. Three games for Cote, three games for Ott. That sounds simple, but it makes sense to me.

Fans would love to know more, but the league said that it has a policy that it won't get into those discussions.

Why? We don't know.

The irony of this league is it badly needs fans to want to follow hockey, and the marketing machine and PR departments and broadcasters and players are trying hard to sell the game – to make fans care. And, then, when they finally do care, they are told that they are not entitled to simple explanations for questions that they have. It seems like a contradiction.

Certainly, there are subjects that must remain behind closed doors, but supplemental discipline hardly seems like one of them. There have been fewer than 20 suspensions this season. How hard would it be to write out a memo and explain the thinking behind each?

Q: If one excludes the first game Brad Richards played, does it appear that the unity and togetherness displayed by the team prior to the trade is no longer present? Experts have always said that a trade can destroy a team's ability to play together – look at the last two home games – not the same Stars prior to the trade!

Marc O.

HEIKA: I think that definitely still is a possibility. Just like Jason Kidd joining the Mavericks or Shaquille O'Neal joining the Suns, this is a risky move for the Stars. Richards is a new personality who is stirring the pot at a time when things were going well.

What the co-GMs are probably hoping is that Richards starts to fit in better and is playing well on the right line when the playoffs start. Richards has a history of playoff success with 47 points in 45 career games. If he can keep up that pace, and the Stars can win a couple of rounds, the trade will be seen as a huge success.

Q: I'm writing you this e-mail from Montreal, big Habs fan up here. My question to you is the following: How do you explain the fact that Mike Ribeiro is having such a career year? I always thought the Habs front office was a little impatient with him.

Marc Senecal

HEIKA: In talking to Ribeiro, I think the Stars are a better fit for him.

I think he has a rebellious fighting spirit, and that was tweaked by the media and fans in Montreal. In Dallas, I think he and the coaches have been able to channel that spirit into improving play and creativity.

The other thing he mentions is that the coaches in Dallas have not constantly harped on him about the mistakes he makes. Instead, they told him to live with the mistakes and keep trying to be more creative. In return, he has really bought into the Stars' defensive scheme and has been attempting to play a very responsible game.

The biggest test for him now will be the recent creation of a Brenden Morrow-Mike Modano-Brad Richards line. Morrow and Ribeiro have been on the same line all year and each has posted career numbers. If Morrow stays with Modano, Ribeiro will have to a find a way to keep his numbers up while playing with Niklas Hagman and Antti Miettinen.

Q: Has Brenden Morrow legally changed his first name to captain or is there some other reason why you feel the need to preface every opening statement about him with captain Brenden Morrow? I travel a great deal and since I'm a hockey fan, I read the sports pages for hockey news. I don't see captain Sidney Crosby in every Pittsburgh Penguins article or captain Mats Sundin in every Toronto Maple Leafs article. Is there a perhaps a feeling that Morrow has never truly been embraced by Stars fans as the captain and there is a push to keep reinforcing his title in the hope it will take root in the minds and hearts of the fans? I personally thought he was a horrible choice. Captains typically are either the highest skill player or a seasoned veteran who has earned the respect of the team. He fits neither description, and I don't believe he ever will.

Karen H.

HEIKA: It's just something I like to do. I did it with Derian Hatcher. I did it with Mike Modano. It's sort of a badge of honor, and I feel it should be respected.

I'm a little confused by the hate for Morrow. I had an e-mailer who was tired of Sergei Zubov getting so many accolades from the media a couple of months ago. I just don't get that.

I think Morrow gets respect because he deserves it. There's no secret plan going on. I bet if you asked every coach in the NHL to pick one player from the Stars to start a team with, 25 of them would choose Morrow. He does a lot of things well on the ice, and he clearly is the best leader in the locker room.

Being around the players, he has the utmost respect from all of his teammates.

I guess we'll agree to disagree.

Q: It's going to be an ultra-interesting season ending. Some important jobs will be on the line by season and playoff end..

Langran S.

HEIKA: I think you're right. While the coaching staff has contracts for next year, that won't stop changes from being made if the Stars do not perform well in the playoffs. In addition, Les Jackson and Brett Hull are interim co-GMs, and there will be a decision made on their future when the season is over.

If Dallas takes another five-game exit in the first round (or somehow doesn't make the playoffs), there will probably be changes.

Q: I do not live the Metroplex, so I get all my games from NHL Center Ice and I like the way they've given us a choice of which broadcast to watch (home or visitor). My question is why, when Stars games are broadcast on Ch 27, do I only get one option, usually the visitors' broadcast?

Billy O.

HEIKA: The Ch 27 feed, I believe, is referred to as a ground feed, meaning it is piped to broadcast stations via wires and cables. As such, I don't believe Center Ice can grab the feed from a singular satellite. I believe those who get their signal from satellite have to have that signal converted by their respective companies and then fed down to their receivers.

Q: Who is the odd man out when Sergei Zubov returns?

Tom in Denton

HEIKA: That's a good one. It's now Zubov and Philippe Boucher who are returning, but I think the Stars coaches have some tough decisions ahead. The kids are playing well, but they also have never been in the Stanley Cup playoffs. My guess is the Stars will lean on their blueline veterans and probably put Matt Niskanen at the top of the three kids (with Mark Fistric and Nicklas Grossman the other two). But it's a lot closer race to pick one of the three than it was at the beginning of the season.

Q: What is Craig Ludwig up to? How about his boys?

Brad in Green Bay

HEIKA: Craig is an assistant coach with the Texas Tornado this season – the NAHL team that plays out of the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco. He also serves as a studio analyst for many of the Stars games on FSN. Trevor Ludwig is playing at Providence. Tyler Ludwig is playing at Western Michigan University.

Q: What happened to goalie Jason Bacashihua, whom the Stars traded a few years ago?

Mark K.

HEIKA: He's in the Avalanche organization, having been traded there from the Blues in November. He played 19 games last season with St. Louis with a 5-10-4 record. This season, he has played mostly in Lake Erie with a 4-8-2 record, 2.82 GAA and .919 save percentage.

Q: A prediction. No Western Conference team can fail to make the playoffs with 94 points. This is a safe estimate, but in reality the number could be as low as 91 or 92 points. The fly in the ointment is three-point games.

Charlie

HEIKA: Yeah, the point totals are down a little this year because of the parity in the West, but that means the race for positions is even closer. You really could go from the second seed to the seventh in a couple of weeks. Last season, 104 points got you the seventh seed and 95 got you out of the playoffs in the West. This season, my guess is 104 gets you second and 95 clearly gets you into the playoffs.

Q: In regards to Niklas Hagman, Dan Cleary just signed a $14 million, 5-year, contract with the Red Wings, and I looked up his stats compared to Hagman. Cleary, who turns 30 in December and is playing in his 10th season, has a salary of $662,500 this season. Hagman, who turns 29 in December and is playing in his sixth season, has a salary of $675,000 this season.

I hope that the Stars and Hagman work something out. His point totals and ice time aren't overly impressive, but he seems to play hard every night, and you can't say that about most of the Stars' players.

Joe F.

HEIKA: If that's the current range for Hagman, then I would say that could be one of the reasons we haven't seen a contract extension announced. I'm not sure if the Stars are ready to go to that level right now. If that's the price, I think they want to see what Hagman does in the playoffs before they commit to five years, $14 million.

Q: Mike, with the injuries and trades, who do you see as the first four or five shooters if we go into a shootout.

Barry Wiginton in College Station

HEIKA: Because of the up and down nature of the current shooters, I will go with: Brad Richards first, Mike Ribeiro second, Mike Modano third, Antti Miettinen fourth, Niklas Hagman fifth and Brenden Morrow sixth.

Richards has career numbers (52 percent) that are almost as good as Jussi Jokinen's, but with Zubov hurt and Jokinen gone, I think there is a lot more flexibility in the selection process, and I think coach Dave Tippett will very much base his choices on how a player is playing in a certain game.

Q: What is the MM logo on the bottom left of the back of the players' helmets? Is it a team tribute to Modano?

Brian

HEIKA: Hey Brian, It's a tribute to their box office manager Matt McKee, who died of cancer this year.

Q: I love the fact that each NHL goalie can personalize their masks, but I am wondering why the rest of the team is denied this opportunity. Since each team wears a different color of sweater and pants, it would not affect the play of the game. I would love to see the creativity that would come from letting the forwards and defensemen design their own helmets, much like the goalies have for years.

Also, which goalie's mask do you like best? I love the mask of Hannu Toivanen where it looks like he is wearing an old time goalie mask and it even has hair and ears on it. Also a big fan of Andy Moog's from the Bruins days, and Ed Belfour's was always simple and classic with the eagle.

Timothy A.

HEIKA: I think that much creative license would be a bad thing in the NHL. The goalies have the hardest job, so they get a special perk.

I like the classics. I like Belfour's. I like Curtis Joseph's and Felix Potvin's and Andy Moog's. If you want to go really old school, I'm a fan of Gerry Cheevers and Gilles Gratton. As far as current masks go, I'm a fan of Marty Turco's gargoyles. Although I like the old ones better than the new. And I like Martin Brodeur's simple style.