The Avery Affair

In the last few years you'd blind deaf, blind or dumb not to notice Sean Avery's on and off ice antics. From waving his stick in elite goaltender Martin Brodeur's face to apparently making racial slurs to at the times Pittsburgh's Georges Laroque to calling out the NHL brass for not marketing the game properly. In recent days Sean Avery has once again been in the spotlight with his mouth getting him in trouble again. Last week Sean Avery before a Dallas vs Calgary game not only defended his comments against the Flames captain Jarome Iginla but also took shots at Dion Phaneuf who is currently dating Avery's ex Elisha Cuthbert. Avery claimed that "it's a common thing in the league for players to fall in love with my (his) sloppy seconds." Not only is it a direct shot at Dion Phaneuf and also Mike Komisarek but also to Jarrett Stoll of the L.A Kings who is currently engaged to Avery's other ex Rachel Hunter. After being suspended indefinatly by the NHL it was revealed that he would be suspended for 6 games by the NHL but also disaplined by his current team the Dallas Stars. Everyone from Marty Turco to the Dallas managment are also sick of his antics and it seams like Brett Hull is the only one willing to defend him

Now I cannot defend all of his actions including possible racial slurs but Sean Avery is doing his job and the suspension is a little unfair. Sure Sean did say "sloppy seconds" and it may not be a family friendly term but really how many 5-12 year olds really know what that means? With movies and television getting progressively worse contentwise kids these days are subjected to far worse than a simple comment. How many kids really watch Sportscenter daily? I highly doubt very many. Besides that wouldn't you say fighting is far worse (I personally wouldn't because its part of the game but still) ? Or how about showing Richard Zednik get his throat cut by a skate blade over and over? Is that what you want your kids to see? I blame the media for over blowing this whole thing. Within twenty minutes almost every sports station was replaying the incident over and over. Kid's wouldn't see or hear his comments if it wasn't for the huge media push but no Gary Bettman chooses to ignore that fact. He also chooses to ignore the fact that far worse things are said on the ice. Mathew Barnaby claims thats not even close to the worst hes said or even heard players chirp each other with. This is really not about family friendly though this is about egos.

Sean Avery has taken direct shots at the leagues big guns for years and they had to just sit back and take it because they knew they had no grounds. Now that the media has exploded over this and listed "sloppy seconds" as on the most heinous phrases of all time, they had their oppertunity to try and put Avery back in his place. Although I don't agree with Avery on Jarome Iginla I do believe he is right about the NHL not marketing the right players. Why doesn't guys like Alexander Semin, Jonathan Toews, Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin Hanzal and Carey Price get pushed the same way we see Sidney Crosby get pushed? I'm personally sick of Sid the kid's crybaby mug all over the media. Just put a mic in his hand and he say what ever you want him to say. Hes simply the NHL's puppet. It's guys like Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Ryan Smyth and Sean Avery who speak their mind and offer way more to the game even though it may offend some. The NHL should be happy about this incident because Sean Avery is marketing the game. It may be contraversial but it is still selling hockey to the world. Television stations like Fox who normally don't give two cents about hockey was showing Avery's clip. TMZ a celebrity based show did a piece on it and and helped push. Bettman ever heard of the saying "Bad headlines are better than no headlines"?

All in all it could have been worse and if it wasn't for the media it could have been alot better as well. Ether way it's selling hockey to non hockey markets and pushing other sports out of the headlines. Sean Avery may be annoying, crude and irratating but whatever he does seams to work. He might as well coined the term superpest because he is the best there ever was even if it means his teamates even hate him..... but I really think they just need something, someone to hate since their season has be a disapointment. Sean Avery is the NHL's scapegoat and only because they need somebody to take the fall and the chance to get the upperhand. In the end Bettman needs to put ego's aside and realize like it or not Avery's just doing his job and like it or not it's good for the game.