Tessier claims that players went behind his back to persuade the coach to get rid of him – suggesting he was hard to get along with in the dressing room.

The axed import named Phillips as being "too close" to the coach and suggested British players may have been jealous of the amount of ice time and salary going his way.

Speaking in a video interview with The Star before Tessier's views became public, Phillips said Tessier "came in halfway through last year and there were a lot of new boys for him in the room, he had no problem with anybody, nobody had any real problem with him.

"Some people fit in different and some people have to work at it. I'm not sure. There was no conflict between boys here now and Tess."

Asked if Tessier was different to others in the locker room he said: "No...everyone is different in their own way and everybody is taken differently."

He said Tessier's goal output would have been up there with the likes of Coventry Blaze's Adam Calder and Dan Carlson had he have iced a full term in the Elite League.

But will his absence now weaken the Sheffield team?

" I don't think it will," the skipper replied. "We had six 20 goal scorers...we had three 30 goal scorers. I think Jason Hewitt will have a good year , he will be pushing for 15 or 20, Robert Dowd has great shot on him." Dowd could bag 15 goals next season, Phillips forecast.

Phillips said he thought Tessier would be replaced by someone with more grit, some size, someone who will fight, muck out in the corners.

"I think our scoring can take care of itself. If we can get some good size in just so we are not thrown around, when we play Newcastle and Cardiff, that should fit in perfectly.

"But this year the league will be tougher."

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