Avery Rocks MSG's 150th SRO With Gordie Howe Hat Trick In Historic Rangers Win

Sean Avery was the first star of the Game of the Week on NBC with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick the day Madison Square Garden celebrated its 150th consecutive sell-out. The New York Rangers celebrated a big win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

MSG has seen a lot of rock concerts as well as hockey games in that time and Rangers fans treated Avery like a rock star as his celebrity status has spilled over from hockey into high fashion and Hollywood movies. Avery was a celebrity intern at Vogue after incurring The Avery Rule in the playoffs last season and now there is a movie in the works based on a column he wrote about his experience for Men's Vogue.

Avery appeared in the movie called Rocket Richard, playing the role of famous New York Ranger Bob "Killer" Dill while he was with the L.A. Kings. Avery became a fan favourite as an agitator in New York after leading the league in penalties for two years in L.A. As the song says, he was a star in New York and a star in L.A. He was also famous for dating movie stars and Sports Illustrated swimsuit models in L.A. and N.Y.C.

The Rangers victory capped the team's turnaround, Avery's return, and the day John Tortorella tied the NHL record for most wins by an American coach in the NHL.

The Rangers have been called the longest running hit series on Broadway and there were lots of hits in the game as the Rangers renewed their storied rivalry with the Flyers, which has often been violent and sometimes bloody.

The string of SRO games dates back over three years. Coincidentally, that covers the time Sean Avery joined the Rangers in a trade with the L.A. Kings. He was a fan favourite as an agitator in New York after leading the league in penalties in L.A.

Avery rejoined the team just in time to be the first star of the game on the day of the Garden celebrated its 150th sold right out hockey game. NBC recorded all the action, giving Avery the superstar treatment, following his every move with their star cam. NBC used an isolated camera on Avery that could be viewed throughout the game on the network's Web site.

He got a Gordie Howe hat trick, an unofficial dime, five hits, drew a few penalties, and attracted so much attention from the Flyers it threw them off their game. The Rangers called it "The Avery Effect." Avery added a new dimension to his game by scoring two goals and making it look easy. He now has a goal-a-game in his last three games.

The Flyers, other NHL teams, and their fans love to hate Avery the super-pest and the so-called King of the Agitators, but he has changed. The Flyers kept running at him all night, expecting him to retaliate by dropping his gloves, getting into a fight, and then being sent to the penalty box. That was the old Sean Avery.

The new and improved Sean Avery still plays with an edge, yaps or chirps a lot, doing a lot of trash talking on the ice, and dishes out hits, but now he is less likely to take a stupid penalty and more likely to play it smart and retaliate by scoring a goal.

Avery scored the last goal of the game the day before, in Philadelphia, and celebrated the first goal against the Flyers in MSG the usual way: He skated three quick strides, went down on one knee, raised his stick in the air with his left hand, and pumped his right fist in the well-known gesture of success. He looked up at the Rangers fans in the stands and they roared their approval.<

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