Ken Hitchcock helped the Dallas Stars become one of the top franchises in the NHL by convincing his players to commit to team defense and discipline. But, as with all things athletic, that conviction to the Hitch way of life faded last season.

So now almost a year after Hitchcock was fired and two days after the two teams met in Philadelphia, we can ask:

How are the Stars different under Dave Tippett?

10. Shorter meetings
Hitchcock was a bear when it came to explaining things. It's his nature to talk hockey, so he felt everybody else enjoyed the process, as well. What happened, though, was players would become mentally worn down by the annual grind of film sessions and erasable boards.

Hitchcock was big on short practices and often got his players off the ice in 45 minutes or less. The players seem to like the new system under Tippett where practices are longer but meetings are shorter. There are times when players might meet for 5 or 10 minutes and then head out.

9. A longer leash
Along with the meetings came a mindset that the players' mission was not to make mistakes. In Hitch's system, Forward 1 had a purpose and a path to the puck, and Forward 2 and Forward 3 followed in sync. When it worked, the Stars were diligent, eating up loose pucks and driving opponents crazy.

When it didn't (like last season), players compounded mistakes with more mistakes. Because the players felt the goal of the system was to be perfect, the emphasis was more often on "what you didn't do" rather than "what you did."

With Tippett, the Stars still have structure, but they're allowed to break that structure at times. In a recent game, defenseman Sergei Zubov found himself standing 10 feet from the goal when he received a between-the-legs drop pass from Mike Modano. Zubov had his back to the goal in the left circle when Modano floated into the high slot and called for the puck. For a second, Zubov hesitated. He knew it was a high-risk play, he knew Modano could miss the one-timer and that would allow the opposition a clear odd-man rush. And yet he threw the pass anyway. Modano converted and the Stars won.

Tippett praised the play as two great players being creative.

8. Not as disciplined (in the defensive zone)
Along with a longer leash come more opportunities to hang themselves with it. The Stars aren't the team they once were in the defensive zone -- especially late in the game. In the past, Dallas locked down a lead, even if it was only one goal. In tie games, they expected the opposition to make the first mistake. In 1998-99, they rode that philosophy to a 12-3-5 record when tied after two periods. They also were 22-7 in one-goal games that season as they confidently played it close every night.

This year, the Stars are 1-2-3 when tied after two periods and are 3-2 in one-goal games.

7. Not as disciplined (mentally)
Maybe it was fear of Hitchcock or maybe it was just the personalities of the players Bob Gainey assembled, but the old Stars rarely got into penalty trouble. They routinely were one of the least penalized teams in the league and almost never let bad officiating become a distraction.

This season, the Stars have had meltdowns during which they have taken retaliatory penalties and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Bill Guerin's edginess has rubbed off on everyone and even players like Derian Hatcher have been sucked into the fray more often than in the past.

6. More aggressive offensively
As a counterbalance to the two negative points, the Stars are much more aggressive when it comes to scoring. They attack from the first drop of the puck. They will play with more emotion when it's called for, and they have the firepower to come back from almost any size deficit.

While teams under Hitchcock would often wade into games and wait for the opposition to make mistakes, Tippett's teams go after the net early. The 1998-99 Stars were best in the second period, outscoring opponents, 91-48. This season, Dallas has outscored opponents, 37-14, in the first.

5. Tippett has played the game
To an outsider, this one makes little sense, but it has a huge impact on the players. Hitchcock worked his way up through AAA midgets, to junior hockey to NHL assistant coach to minor league head coach and finally to the NHL. He earned everything he was given and he is one of the best coaches in the league. Yet, even after he delivered a Stanley Cup to Dallas, players often would mutter that "Hitch never played the game."

In retrospect, it was a cop out. But, the simple fact is, it was an easy excuse for a player who was in Hitchcock's doghouse. With Tippett, there is no such excuse. If you find yourself a healthy scratch, you have to deal with it.

On a tangible level, Tippett does have discussions with players (Scott Pellerin and Rob DiMaio, for example) and can relate better to what they are going through if they are healthy scratches. However, it's interesting that nobody has brought up the fact that GM Doug Armstrong "never played the game." It shouldn't matter if you're good at what you do.

4. The ability to shake things up
Hitchcock tried to do it during his last two seasons, and it became a large part of his downfall. When the Stars were good, consistency was their bailiwick. Derian Hatcher and Richard Matvichuk always stayed together. Darryl Sydor and Sergei Zubov always stayed together. Mike Modano played beside Jere Lehtinen most of the time. When Hitchcock tried to shake things up by moving the defense pairs, the experiment backfired and the Stars lost their edge.

This season, Tippett put together Hatcher and Zubov, and that unlikely pair has been one of the best in the NHL. In addition, Matvichuk has formed a strong chemistry with Phillipe Boucher and Sydor is proving he can play with anyone.

3. Powering up
Hitchcock ran one of the top power plays in hockey for better than three seasons. The only problem was that it generally ended with a Brett Hull one-timer. Because of that, the power play was easier to shut down in the playoffs and completely fell apart last season when Hull was allowed to leave via free agency.

Tippett has encouraged a much broader range of options. He's using Hatcher at the point and in front of the net. He's allowing Sydor to become a rover at times. He's set up a system where Pierre Turgeon feels comfortable behind the net. He's relying less on Modano, and yet also finding more ways to use his star player.

As a result, the power play ranks ninth in the league and, more importantly, appears to have the versatility to confound opponents in the playoffs.

2. Road woes
The Stars had the best road record in the NHL for five seasons. It hasn't been so easy this time around. With a focus on regaining home-ice advantage, the Stars have been only average on the road. Expect that to change as the team gets more comfortable, but it is fairly clear that under Tippett, the team does play differently (possibly less confident) away from American Airlines Center.

1. He's not Hitch
Maybe the best thing about Tippett is that he is simply a change -- of any kind. The players were fed up with Hitchcock's disciplinary ways and yelling, and Tippett is the perfect anti-Hitch. He's controlled, he's quiet, he's straightforward and quick. And that's what the team needed right now.

What Hitchcock accomplished in his time in Dallas will remain forever, it's just that the player are happy both sides have moved on.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.