Let Dan Ellis Be @33dellis

UPDATE: Dan Ellis posted a number of tweets explaining his decision to quit Twitter in the wake of this controversy.

Don't hate Dan Ellis because he made the mistake of being honest in under 140 characters. Thank him for offering a window into what he really thinks. If you don't like his viewpoint -- and many have plenty of reasons to detest it -- so what? Don't ask for his autograph. Don't cheer for him. But whatever you do, if you care about sports, continue to follow him on Twitter. As a reality check for the ticket-purchasing public, Ellis is essential reading.

The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender may have lost his way on Twitter for a bit around 11:00 p.m. ET on Monday. This tends to happen on Twitter late Friday and Saturday nights, for obvious reasons, but as husband, father and professional goalie Ellis keeps a different schedule than a lot of folks.

Here is the series of tweets at issue on the goalie's Twitter page, @33dellis:

If you lost 18% of your income would you be happy? I can honestly say that I am more stressed about money now then when I was in college.

I can't explain it and I never thought it would be the case but it is true. $ in no way makes u more happy or makes life much easier.

If you don't make a lot of money I don't expect u to understand in the same way I could never understand what it is like to risk my life...

...Daily as a fire fighter or police officer...especially not a soldier. There r pros and cons to every profession. U r kidding yourself...

...If u think money makes things any easier.

That's when the pain came raining down on Twitter for Ellis, whose Lightning contract guarantees that he'll be paid a total of $3 million over the next two years.

It started off so wonderfully for Ellis on Twitter. He made himself accessible and came off as witty, kind, generous, human. Immediately, thousands of fans (and plenty of hockey writers) began communicating with him and complimenting him. Many felt like they had made a friend with a real-life professional athlete.

Actually, they did. From the beginning, it was easy to see Ellis' was not a team-sanctioned Twitter account. You know the ones I'm talking about, where an NHL player joins Twitter -- allegedly on his own accord -- and readers get excited about it ... before the inevitable hawking of tickets and merchandise becomes part of the equation. Many professional sports teams do it. If one of your favorite hockey players has hopped on Twitter in the last few months, just watch how many "deals" and opportunities to send in your email address for a contest will come with the start of the season.

Of course, not all player accounts deserve to be met with such cynicism -- @33dellis a prime example. Thanks to Twitter and his candor, the goaltender's free agency this summer (including the trading of his rights to Montreal) was played out in front of his more than 11,000 followers. Just a week ago, Ellis stirred it up with a tweet defending Reggie Bush's salary because, unlike most of us, athletes are "specialists." Call it foreshadowing.

The Twitter musings of Dan Ellis are priceless. As for the perception of a "meltdown" on Monday, not really. His player association's fumble in the last Collective Bargaining Agreement results in Ellis, like all of his colleagues, losing as much as 18 percent of his paycheck to escrow every two weeks. That's simply a fact. If Ellis says he's more stressed out about money now than when he was in college, think about it: were you stressed out about money while you were actually in college? His tweet about money not equaling happiness ... well, they've been writing songs about that for a century.

When I think of the wealthiest family I'm closest to, the first thing that comes to my mind is not their spectacular home. I think of multiple divorces and serious illness. Money has not always bought them love.

Needless to say, Ellis went off the rails when he brought up firefighters and police officers. He really lost some Twitter credibility when, later in the night, he started to back-track:

I even gave you all ample warning and you still bit...when are going to learn to not take me seriously? Some of u got really pissed :(

Ppl r still replying about somethin I tweeted an hour ago. U realize twitter is just a silly way to communicate and not b taken as gospel?

Oh, Danny -- you had us at "I don't expect you to understand." Fact is, we don't understand, we cannot relate to you. That's what made @33dellis a must-follow. Don't go soft, Dan. Don't go changin' to try and please us.

Here's hoping Bolts GM Steve Yzerman and Executive VP of Communications Bill Wickett -- who likely woke up to a lot of emails Tuesday morning -- do not micro-manage Ellis. Let all the other Lightning players tweet about their coffee, their grueling workouts, the latest movie they saw and BTW, "Click here for a great deal on tix to 2nite's game!" As long as he keeps it clean and respectful, let Ellis be Ellis.

Even through Twitter, we'll never truly get to know Dustin Brown and Bruno Gervais and most of the other NHL athletes sharing their lives in 140 characters or less. But we do know Dan Ellis. He's the goaltender who brings us closer to the professional hockey player than some of us may like.