Class vs. Classless—that's the perfect way to describe the Devils vs. Rangers Game Three that I witnessed Sunday night.
I’ll give Big Angry Man the credit for the tag line, as it was his impression of what we saw. This particular game was just difficult to watch, even more so than the first two Devils’ losses.
I’m just getting sick and tired of watching Zach Parise getting mugged. The kid has already lost his two front teeth by taking a stick to the mouth. The Rangers have taken every liberty with him that they can and it’s frustrating to watch.
How many times can he take a high stick to the mouth with no penalty? How many times can he be the little weeble that bounces back up every time he is knocked to the ice? How many painkillers does he need to take just to "lace 'em up!"?
Like most hockey players, he is a noble warrior.
But Sunday night, in this game that I love, I witnessed the absolute epitome of classless behavior in what agitator Sean Avery did Marty Brodeur in the second period.
Marty must have said something about Avery's mother, because Brodeur was in Avery's face all night. In the first period, Avery purposely backed into Marty at the top of the crease which earned him a penalty. Of course Avery tried to play it off as if he is perfectly innocent. “Whaatt?? What did I do? What is he doing there?” Avery knows full well that Brodeur plays further outside the net than anyone else. He knew exactly what he was doing, and the video replay only confirmed it.
But that wasn’t quite enough for Avery.
In his twisted little mind, he had to come up with something else that could throw Marty off his game, so he became creative.In a display that can only be called, childish, rude and completely disrespectful, he stood facing Marty and taunted him with his stick and his hands. It was like watching a school yard bully relentlessly taunting the classroom brainiac. Avery waved his hands in Marty’s face, keeping him from watching the puck in play. He raised his stick and waved it like a flag in Marty’s eyes. No whistle, no call. Marty gave him a little push, and only then did that catch attention.
And there was Avery with his tiresome “What Me?” look. It seems there isn’t a specific rule for waving your hands in front of the goaltenders' eyes from three inches away. Sean’s only job was to keep Marty out of the play that was going on in front of him. I have never seen anything so despicable in my life.
In a sport that is filled with rich history and what was supposed to be professional respect, Sean Avery did everything but stick his tongue out and shake his butt yapping “Nah, nah. You can’t get me.” He is a spoiled child spitting in the face of greatness. Even more disgusting.... he scored on a subsequent shift.
To further add injury to insult, Brodeur was knocked down and his helmet sent flying late in the third period. I let out an audible gasp and held my breath waiting for him to get back up off the ice. He was uninjured but visibly shaken and took full advantage of the TV time out. He leaned on the net and tried to regain his focus.
I was just glad the Devils ended up having the last laugh as Madden bounced a puck off a Ranger skate to beat Lundquist in overtime and give the Devils’ their first win of the series.
The League must, repeat MUST look into Sean Avery’s disgusting behavior and rule on it. If you can wave your stick in a goalie’s eyes while he is trying to keep track of the puck, then what will be allowed next?
I'm afraid to find out.
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2 months ago
Wow. Amazing article. I have not read such a biased piece in a while. Parise getting beat up? Yea, no Devil has taken any physical liberty on the Rangers players at all right? And because Brodeur likes to play far out of the net he should be given more room around the crease? On that interference penalty, I hope you realize the contact happened outside of the crease, where Brodeur does not belong, and should not have been a penalty. For a game you claim to "love" you should brush up on the rule book.
from 2 months ago
Good thing the NHL cracked down on Avery's antics. It was a disgrace to the game.
from 2 months ago
Good thing the NHL cracked down on Avery's antics. It was a disgrace to the game.
from 2 months ago
anyone that has played hockey at a higher level knows the importance of players like Avery. i am by no means condoning wat avery is doing because it is terrible, but if he was doing wat he is doing back in lets say the 80's or 70's.....he would be missing all of HIS teeth. fighting is a natural part of the game. avery does wat he does because he knows your devils team wont fuck with him, at least not enough for him to stop.....cause it sure is working. for example.........at the flyers height in the mid 70's no one would dare touch bobby clark or bernie parant for one reason.....they would have to deal with the hammer dave shultz. it was all about the respect and fear. it was a yin yang. and now when the nhl decides to crack down on alot of the fighting we are seeing more players like avery taking wat is given to them. if avery messes with your goalie or knocks one of your young players teeth out......you fuck him up. you let him know that that is not gonna fly and if he continues he will be delt with. not by taking a verry small fraction of the millions of dollars he making, but by knocking his teeth out. and then you can be sure he wont mess with your team again. and i know your gonna say well we dont want more voilence......hockey is the roughest sport around so get used to it.
from 2 months ago
The problem isn't players getting roughed up or physicality, the problem is that player's like Sean Avery have to perform their stupid little antics to gain attention because their play doesn't gain it for them. Sean Avery isn't good enough to get noticed for his scoring and he can't be physical and clean at the same time, so he has to do stuff like this. All we heard last year in Versus (horrible) coverage of the New York/Buffalo series was how aggrivating Avery was. Well if he was aggrivating the Sabres, it didn't show. He played awful and the Rangers lost in 6. And that was only because Lundqvist had such a good series. You're talking about Marty Brodeur, possibly the greatest goalie ever, who has already won 3 Stanley Cups. Some second rate pest isn't going to get in Marty's head. He just makes himself look like a jackass trying.
from 2 months ago
ok colin obv u turned off te game b/c avery scored immediately after the "interfeance" so he does the ability to score and be the most annoying badass to grace the garden's ice
2 months ago
Don't I love controversy. It will make my off-season go that much quicker. Thanks for stopping by.
2 months ago
As a devils fan I can say I hate Sean Avery without bias. Because as a Devils fan know what it feels like to have a unsportsmanlike jerk on my own team. Back in the day it was Claude Lemieux. And I can honestly say I'm glad he's gone and players that use those tactics wouldn't last very long without the instigator rule. People always say to me "You would like Avery if he was on your team." And this is completely incorrect. We had Claude Lemieux and I was practically ashamed of it. Avery will get his some day.
I find it hyprocritical of how Avery called David Clarkson a "bonehead minor-leaguer." When Clarkson is what Avery should be. An intense, aggressive, physical player who isn't afraid to drop the gloves to help out his team and also has a good skill set to boot. But at the same time does not resort to unsportsmanlike conduct, cheap shots, diving, and name calling in the media. All of which Avery has previously been guilty of.
As for the posts in this article. It doesn't matter where a goalie is. You can't touch him. If you do it's interference. Crease or no crease. Time for some posters to brush up on the rule book. It's been that way for a few decades now.
-CH
from 2 months ago
LOL PLEASE do not compare Sean Avery to Claude Lemieux.
Claude Lemieux was a prime playoff player. Just go take a look at the playoff record book. You will be pretty surprized on how many playoff record sheet Lemieux appears.
Then as for Avery's stick waving at Brodeur, the fault goes to the referees who allowed it. A player cannot use his hands or stick to screen a goaltender. Avery should've been penalized for doing it.
2 months ago
I agree, Avery should get something for that. but as far as I know, there is no penalty call for those kinds of behaviour.
as long as he did not physically touch Brodeur, or if Brodeur is outside his cercle ...
his forwards should bounce back. it is not up to parise and brodeur only to win this serie.
good luck for the rest of the playoffs,
:)
from 2 months ago
There is a 10 minute misconduct for inciting a player into taking a penalty, which is exectly what Avery was trying to do.
2 months ago
What Sean Avery did was unsportsman-like conduct. Like sneezing (or spitting) in an opposing player's face.
2 months ago
What the official should have done in this situation is give Avery a 10 minute unsportsmanlike misconduct. That way there is no advantage to either team. There is actually a rule in the rule book that states something about if a player is harassing a player with the intention of getting the other player to draw a penalty and the official warns the player, (like Avery was) then can be assessed a penalty.
2 months ago
What avery did was smart and completly within the rules. if you want to talk unsportsmanliketalk about marty leaving the crease to take out avery and avery getting the penalty. all you devil fans are little girls. you got a win, enjoy it. I look forward to seeing the rangers celebrate on your ice friday night.
from 2 months ago
LOL completely within the rules. hahahahahaha.
You clearly are a hockey newbie. Enjoy your Rangers run while it lasts because it won't last for very long.
2 months ago
Its cool. Its hockey after all and if they were smart they'd cover Parise with a better enforcer to take the hits for him. Silly Americans, don't pretend you know "classic" hockey.
2 months ago
While Avery was standing there waving his stick in Marty's face why didn't a Devils defensemen come over and clear him out? That would have been the smart thing to do.
2 months ago
This is so funny. I was telling my wife last night as we were watching the game that Avery is bad for the game. I cannot stand the way he plays the game. While what he did is not against the rules, it is truly classless. He deserved the shot he took from White after Callahan ran into Brodeur. I would have done exactly the same thing.
My goalie is down? Where's Avery?
2 months ago
Playoff hockey eh, I'm not condoning Avery's actions because I too feel like sometimes he takes it too far, it is up to the NJ defensemen to clear him out of there and protect their goalie, this article just sounds like whining..
2 months ago
Avery is a jerk , but hes doing what he does best . Hes getting under the skin of the opposition. Thats his job, and he does it well. My question is why didn't a d-man take care of him and move him out.
2 months ago
Ummmm......do any of you really watch hockey? I mean REALLY watch hockey? If so, then we have some issues. This is hockey, the sport of harassment and checking, and poke checking, and slashing, and cross checking, and spearing, and boarding, and mis-conducting, and game mis-conducting. Somewhere in between all of this, passing, shooting, and scoring happens. Everybody knows that age old saying of "putting the whistles away". This is when it happens, in the playoffs. You feel as if Avery is being a baby, but I'm still trying to figure out what he did wrong and why you're all angry. It's a game of minds and brute strength. These men are professionals, yes, but at a sport where the penalty is greater if blood is drawn. This is a brutal sport, and that's why I love it. If you don't like people taking cheap shot s, calling each others mothers whores, or using every weapon at their disposal to gain the edge, than watch golf. (Ya know, b/c that's the other sport they play when not on the ice. It may be more to your pace.)
2 months ago
What an awful, biased article. Don't quit your day job.
from 2 months ago
damn it! How did my boss find me! Don't worry, the day job is secure.
2 months ago
Maybe if the Devils hadn't been down two men at the time, our guys could have roughed Avery up.
Regardless, Devils got that last laugh. They need to come out hard on Game 4.
And how about some better officiating? The refs have been terrible the entire playoffs, and not just in this series, either.
2 months ago
"There is actually a rule in the book that states ..."
Correct. Ron McLean discussed this in a segment following one of the playoff games. There was a graphic which showed the wording.
The actual language in the rule book can be found here:
http://www.nhl.com/hockeyu/rulebook/rule41.html#g
2 months ago
Claude never acted like a constipated troll in front of any goalie. Avery the pest is part of the game, Avery the schoolyard idiot should not be. Class is class. If that kind of crap is what the NHL wants, they can give up any hope of growth. It was bad behavior, even for a classless organization.
2 months ago
The editor obviously doesn't watch hockey. It's a shame you write about something you know nothing about. Its the NHL Playoffs maybe you should start watching tennis. The last time I remembered losing teeth and hockey are synonymous. The Next time Avery waves is hands in Brodeurs face maybe a defensemen from the devils should actually try something called a check. This article sucks balls and you are not fit to comment on hockey.
2 months ago
oh please...this article was a hoot...boohooo the poor devils...too funny...two dirty...bullish..crybaby teams playing each other..fun to watch..just a shame one of them has to win...as for "Marty" playing outside the crease...hes fair game...he should get knocked on his very padded butt..thanks for the laugh..you big crybaby...LOL...
2 months ago
avery has a job to take broduer off his game he is to screen the goalie it is the playoffs he is the best goalie, complain that sydney is beat up it is a mans game you sound very wimpy
2 months ago
People are always talking about how Avery has to play 'on the edge'. Last night he went a bit too far, and it really is just an issue of class and respect. I love how intensely Avery plays, but I think his skill unfortunately takes a back seat to his attitude. As a Ranger fan, the scene in front of Brodeur generated two emotional responses in quick succession:
1: What the heck... haha, that's hilarious!
2: Ok that's enough Sean, you're embarrassing us.
I'm willing to take the bad with the good with Avery, even if it's painful to watch at times. Luckily the Brodeur distraction was just a brief moment in a really intense, incredible game. Wednesday can't come quick enough.
2 months ago
Standing in front of the goalie whether it be with your hands in the air or your back turned is called a screen. WTF. This is Hockey. Class or Classless shouldn't even be an issue with what avery did. You guys are bunch of girls.
2 months ago
For everyone here commenting that, "It's Part of the Game", it's "Playoff Hockey"...
Is that why Bettman immediately made comments after the game that the NHL won't tolerate that behavior?
Idiots.
2 months ago
Snatch!!! Go watch bowling.
from 2 months ago
Bowling? Bowling? I don't live in Buffalo.
2 months ago
"Is that why Bettman immediately made comments after the game that the NHL won't tolerate that behavior?
Idiots."
Oh yea...because hockey fans love Gary Bettman right? PUT DOWN THE KOOL AID CHILD!!
2 months ago
Sack up. This "article" is a biased joke. Parise, as you said, is a big boy, and he can handle it. No question the hit that smoked out a few of his teeth wasn't legal, but a penalty was called and shit happens. It's hockey. Parise probably went back into the locker room grinning because I've never met a true hockey player that isn't proud of his battle scars. He'll get some porecelain in the mouth and be set to go again without any problems. As for Avery, he's a skilled workhorse. It's not his fault the Devils' defense didn't clear him out of the front of the net, leaving Brodeur to fend for himself and ultimately allowing Avery to do what he does best, use his unreal hands in front of the net to put one past the netminder. Furthermore, if you've watched the series at all, Brodeur didn't say anything directly about Avery's mother. They've had bad blood all along. Look back a few games when Avery was crashing the net and Broduer took a cheap shot with his stick and blocker to Avery's face. If that had hit stick first, it's likely he'd be lined up right next to your little doll Parise getting a fine new set of porcelain. To the author, may I suggest curling as a better spectator sport for you. I believe they have more stringent rules against errant cross checks and taunting.
2 months ago
MArty is no prince. Ever read about his divorce??? Plenty of ammo for any aggitator like Avery, who by the way can score, hit, fight and inspire his team to win.
Here is a nice link with some tidbits of his divorce.
http://www.duhaime.org/LawMag/tabid/1385/EntryID/36/Default.aspx
from 2 months ago
I always find it funny when people bring up Brodeur's personal life when discussing his career. Just brings to mind a biblical saying. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
Who the hell cares about Marty's divorce. It's what he puts on the ice that's important, not what he does in his bedroom.
2 months ago
Why is what Avery did wrong? It is not against any rule. If the Devils D had just done their job and cleared him from the top of the crease Marty could've seen the puck. The job of any player is to do whatever is needed to help their team win while abiding by the rules. What Avery did during the 5 on 3 power play was completely legal, and Devil fans should stop whinning about it.
2 months ago
The sad reality of this is that no one from the Devils 'filled-in' Avery! If he does it again he should be punished physically. If the lame duck suits that run the NHL are too ignorant to realize that what Avery did was not in the best 'spirit' of the game and have a referee call an 'unsportsmanlike conduct' penalty then 'jailhouse justice' must rule. Do you think that Avery the 'headbanger' that he is would have done this silly stunt if Scott Stevens was still playing for the Devils? I think not..
Get a grip Bettman and empower your sad officiating crews!
Good Article! Five Star..
2 months ago
I agree, this article was the most biased sports article I've read in a long time.
Why is no mention made of the Instigator Rule? The agitators of the sport try to get guys off their game by messing with them all the time, and because of the damn instigator penalty, what would be enforcers can't do anything about it for fear of putting their team at a disadvantage.
I understand the author has his own agenda to push, but phrases like "his twisted little mind" only show how biased you are when you have to resort to childish attacks like that. Avery knows damn well what he is doing, and he's doing it to give his team an edge. Blame the officials or the league for the rule system which promotes this kind of behavior. But regardless, you will always have agitators in the game, just as you'll have star players, each has their own place.
2 months ago
Talk about 1 article losing tons of credibility...what a completely crappy biased POS. Ever heard of Tomas Holmstrom you 'so-called' hockey fan? One of the greatest EVER just outside the crease and I will bet anyone he's in the head of the opposing goalie every night he's on the ice. Of course, he's not Sean Avery and he tends to face his own D line (barely) more than the opposing goalie...so I guess it's completely OK. You don't see him or the Redwing fans crying like babies for the 20 or so crosschecks he takes per game that aren't called.
BTW, not a fan of Avery, the Rangers, or the Devils...just hockey.
2 months ago
A note to those who would like to post comments: I knew this would be a firestorm when I thought of it last night. I didn't hear about Bettman's reaction until I tuned into HomeIce on XM 204 this morning in the car. And while I don't expect everyone to agree with me, if you want to call me out... have the stones to use your own name. I do.
2 months ago
I wrote the comment I quote below, my name is Eric. What is your point? I don't agree with you, does it make my opinion or yours more valid now that I said my name? The fact that people don't agree with you doesn't mean you have to start picking at minor details to sidestep our opinions. So I don't feel like registering to the website. Give me a break.
"I agree, this article was the most biased sports article I've read in a long time.
Why is no mention made of the Instigator Rule? The agitators of the sport try to get guys off their game by messing with them all the time, and because of the damn instigator penalty, what would be enforcers can't do anything about it for fear of putting their team at a disadvantage.
I understand the author has his own agenda to push, but phrases like "his twisted little mind" only show how biased you are when you have to resort to childish attacks like that. Avery knows damn well what he is doing, and he's doing it to give his team an edge. Blame the officials or the league for the rule system which promotes this kind of behavior. But regardless, you will always have agitators in the game, just as you'll have star players, each has their own place."
2 months ago
*sigh*....
And thus the average IQ of this comment thread just dropped 50 points. Talk in plain english, avoid "text message abbreviations" like the classic STFU, you cussed enough anyway, why not just spell it all out? Thirdly, "Stick 2 ur bring ass baseball". I'm sorry, what? If you could string a damn sentence together in a coherent fashion maybe we could understand what the hell you are trying to say. Keep your comments out of the intellectual gene pool please and spare us the 2 minutes of our lives that we'll never get back after reading your pointless post.
Again, this is Eric, and my stones are where they should be.
p.s. speaking of steroids, this last genious may want to lay off the juice himself...
2 months ago
7th, let those Ranger crybaby fans mouth off anonymously. They know darn well Avery is a coward who's antics are a cry for attention. He cheapens the game and the Rangers are a disgrace to make his unprofessional crap part of their game plan.
Keep up the great work.
-Nick
2 months ago
Buddy, your team won last night. No need for the sore loser piece.
Glad to see you're able to present an unbiased version of what happened. Did you note the Devil's defenseman stick that took out Ryan Callahan before he slid into Marty?
2 months ago
Laughing at the ALL CAPS abusive moron 2 posts above.
Obviously he/she/it [we cant say for sure] has never actually played soccer to know that it isn't as much of a contact sport as hockey is. It comes down to common sense really, hockey+checking=equipment neccessary. Canadians are all proud of their hockey...it's because it is perhaps the only sport they are actually good at. Soccer is a world sport buddy, it is cheap to play and involves more friends. I love hockey, I love soccer and I adore baseball. I love sports in general and that is what a real sportsman/woman should be like. NOT idiots like Anon who rant. Besides, I've seen enough bonehead hockey players get beaten up in a parking lot by 'girlie' soccer players to know that hockey isn't as tough as it wants to appear as.
As for the article, I think any literature based on a team that the writer is a fan of is called 'bias'. Actually every bloody article on this site and in the newspaper and sports websites can be taken as 'biased'. Go look at Ian Mendes' waste of online space on sportsnet.ca or listen to the Leafs commentators on Fan150 during Leafs games. It's everywhere, the difference is in how much 'sense' the biasness makes. Sounds stupid I know, but English only uses so many words...
I love Sean Avery. I don't condone his acts like mouthing off to Blake 'supposedly' about his battle with his illness or throwing bottles into the crowd and nearly hitting kids. But..that being said, I love his passion on the ice. He is as selfish about the game as it gets and only wants to have fun on the ice, whether its for him or anyone else who wants to join in. In many ways, he not only brings in the crowds to watch him get penalties but he instigates and fires up something that most teams succumb too...'threat'. Every team sees someone on the ice they want to 'hate' and tend to focus their energy in getting one over that person. For the Leafs it's Tucker. God I love Tucker. I like Avery too....hmmm...Tucker and Avery on the same line anyone???
What Avery did to Brodeur was not as bad as some of the other shit I have seen done to goalies. If people are crying out that instigators like Avery should get penalties like that, I say give 'morons' like Heatley for kicking ice at goalie masks. Oh yeah I'm sure no one means to skate ice into the face of goalies.. I guess it's hard stopping on skates when you are a professional skater.
Avery's reputation precedes him and it will hurt him in the long run as ref's will make calls against him. And as long as the jerk, for indeed he is a jerk, keeps producing on the ice like he is, no one on the Rangers will give a damn if he abuses the other goalie. Besides, that's what defenders are for...clearing away the trash.
2 months ago
For the moron who wrote "hockey is a sport for bad guys", i suggest you stop writing comments or anything of the sort on this site about hockey anymore, you are a disgrace to all hockey fans everywhere.
No sport should be a sport for bad guys. Idiot.
2 months ago
I was dying last night watching the game, it was freaking hilarious. The feud between these two goes pretty deep. And no one mentioned here about all the stuff Marty has said abut the Ranger goalie. "I dont like the way he plays", "It is just weird". Well Marty I guess sleeping with you sister in law is not weird huh? Maybe the NHL can rule on it over the summer as to weather or not Avery crossed the line or not, until then there is no rule against it. As far as the no instigator rule goes, that does not keep players from giving rivals a good beating if they deserve it. The difference here is Avery will fight, you could break his Jaw and he will still Yap incoherently on his way to the locker room. Not to mention he can score. And if you want, check the rangers with him in the lineup.
This is the playoffs, between two very evenly matched teams. The intensity level will not be matched again until possibily the finals. Avery adds an element that is needed after almost 10 years of clutch and grab boring hockey.
What is going tobe more interesting is what are these guys going to say at the traditional handshake friday night in newark?
2 months ago
I disagree with the article. Avery was doing what was needed to try to help his team win. Sometimes one needs to stretch the rules to the limit or cross the line to help his team.
Avery is one of my favorites. I love these kinds of players in all sports. Bruce Bowen in the NBA is another. He is tough and gets under other players' skins. These are the kinds of players you love having on your team but hate having to play against.
In football, which involves much more contact, there is plenty of talking, distracting and other shenanigans that go on that players must play through. I don't see why the hockey world can't deal with this.
It was a smart play during a 5-on-3 to have Avery distract the goaltender. The other 4 players still out-manned the Devils' skaters and could control the puck. Avery then got the goal after all that.
Too bad the other Rangers couldn't match the intensity of Avery, Callahan, and Dubinsky sunday night.
2 months ago
Back to the article here. That was a lot of scrolling to get to the bottom.
All comments about Parise aside, what I'll comment about is Avery's ridiculous behaviour toward Brodeur. I'm about the farthest thing there is from a NJ or NYR fan, so don't take this as a defense of my favourite team.
If this was minor hockey, most people would call Avery a bully who was making up for a lack of skill by acting this way. He certainly wouldn't be allowed to act that way for very long. If I had acted in this manner during a game when I was a kid, I would have been either benched or penalized.
Avery does have skill. He isn't a bad hockey player, as was evident when he later scored. He has no need to stoop to that level to annoy the other team. His normal attitude is plenty.
I also have to ask the question that was pointed out somewhere above (before this turned into a personal attack on the author instead of a hockey debate): Where were the NJ defensemen? All a defensemen would need to do is be there. Avery was obviously bored out of his tree in front of the net, since he was going to such lengths to entertain himself.
Thank you for writing this article. The behaviour was inappropriate. Now, as a sporting community, can we all move on and enjoy the playoffs?
2 months ago
Agreed with most of the comments that defended Avery on this play.
As someone mentioned, yeah Parise lost two teeth, and the Rangers were called for a double-minor.
Avery did what he felt he needed to do to help his team win. That's it.
And what form of "class" are the many Devils fans exhibiting when they have repeatedly wished injury against Scott Gomez this season?
It amazes me to see such a sour grapes article after the Devils actually won the game.
As for never seeing anything more despicable in your life? I point you toward McSorley on Brashear, Bertuzzi on Moore, Domi on Niedermayer, Niedermayer on Worrell, Downey on just about everyone.
2 months ago
Parise should of gotten two minutes for delay of game!
2 months ago
Billy is the typical Rangers fan. Win at any cost, screw the rules or even basic sportsmanship. How many Cups you have in the last 10 years? Enjoy your little win streak, it probably won't last long. If the Devils do lose this series someone will own your @$$ before the finals.
2 months ago
Give me a break!! "Hockey is a tough game"!! That's supposed to be what Avery did last night -- play tough??!! What Avery did is tough??!! What Avery did is bull crap. You want tough -- check under Gordie Howe, look up Bobby Clarke and dozens more -- none of them ever pulled the prank Avery did last night -- he disgraced the game he plays, he disgraced the organization whose sweater he wears.
Willy
2 months ago
First off...
Bad for hockey? Since when has a controversial figure been bad for any type of entertainment? Terrell Owens, Dennis Rodman, John McEnroe. Sure people will be upset, but then they're going to tune in "just to see what happens."
Rivalries are great for the sport. Again... you want to see what happens.
Any publicity is good publicity. As long as there aren't riots.
In any case, I don't see how you can give a penalty for screening a goalie. The stick in the face can qualify as taunting, but the hands in front of the face should be fair game. Hell... if Brodeur can trip Avery when Avery is outside of the crease backing in, or can throw cheap shots when Avery is pushed into the crease, then hands not touching the goalie should be acceptable.
Brodeur gets away with a lot more - abusing his power as a goalie. He gets away with penalties - a lot of them.
As for Clarkson, how many times is he going to take a run at players nowhere near the puck, and how many times is he gonna be the third man in on a scuffle?
2 months ago
Sean Avery is great and is what the Rangers had been lacking all those years they didn't make the playoffs, a tough guy who does whatever it takes to win, I like what Avery is doing because it is obviously getting to some of the Devils players and Brodeur the most and isn't that the point? Plus, its playoffs, you don't call penaltys in playoffs as much because they are so physical.
2 months ago
Also, dont associate what happened to Parises teeth with Avery because it was Backman who cross checked Parise in the mouth that caused him to lose his front teeth, not Avery
2 months ago
rangers fans dont know sh*t about hockey.....the comments after this article prove that enough.....
~habs all the way!~
2 months ago
Just thought everyone would like to know that as of around 3:30 this afternoon the NHL amended their unsportsmanlike conduct rule to include "when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposing goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."
Basically, you can't do what Mr. Avery did. His play was legal when it happened, it isn't now.
P.S. Name calling is childish, and it takes away from your comment's credibility.
2 months ago
I have to take exception to the characterization of NJ vs.NY as a battle between 'class and classless', because if we're going to decide which organization has a shadier present and past, the Devils revered the likes of Claude Lemieux and Scott Steven, who for both I could rewrite the song "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers to include a chorus of "I'm Mr. Blindside".
On the Devils roster, I would go so far as saying the only classy individual is one Martin Brodeur, and even he resorted to a groin shot on Avery...
When the Devils lineup includes Colin White, Michael Rupp, David Clarkson and Arron Asham, and the Rangers lineup includes Henrik Lundqvist, Chris Drury, Marc Staal and Brendan Shanahan, I will have to correct you on which team lacks certain ethical credibility.
Avery's a pest, but he's not one who will try to injure players intentionally. He does what he can to give his team a mental edge and does it well.
2 months ago
Avery has no respect for other players (witness his comments during the lockout), and I would like to see him out of the league. But as long as they allow these kinds of shenanigans, I might not mind seeing him in Teal, either, 'cause we need a guy who will incite teammates and annoy opponents after the way Calgary is bullying us.
2 months ago
Oh baby... Now Ranger fans are going to judge the class of other hockey fans
Now thats FUNNY
2 months ago
K, dont get me wrong, I think Avery is a total ass, but he is a good player and a very underated player, the rangers were something like 20 games over five hundred this season with him and 5 under five hundred without him, he is a dick head and i probably wouldnt want him as a friend, but if i were a GM, I would want him on my team.
2 months ago
TJ i dont think that Avery is the reason that they are that much better. One player does not cause a 25 game swing. But I do agree that this article is pretty shitty. Avery is an incredible player. I think that he could probably do a bit more to avoid these sketchy situations but thats who he is. Its not like he just goes out and beats the shit out of people. He is a playmaker. Just because your team is getting beat physically and on the scoresheet, doesn't mean that you should take it out on Avery. And about this whole thing about Parise getting his ass kicked...maybe he should man up and fight back.
But a sincere thanks for giving all of us something to argue about :)
from 2 months ago
Im not saying that he is good enough to make a 25 game swing, but when there 20 games over 500. with him, and 4 games under without him, your doing something right.
2 months ago
To all the anonymous artards saying this is a biased piece....last time I checked, BR welcomes all about editorial pieces which is what this clearly is. No one here has to be unbiased in their assessment. Try picking up a newspaper once in a while and look for the "editorials" section.
If you want your comment to count for something, why not sign up and write some pieces yourself instead of hiding behind the curtain of anonymity.
Good piece, Dee.
2 months ago
I have to say I don't honestly think it was a "disgrace." Childish, yeah, but "disgraceful," no. He is out there doing what he is trained to do in two respects:
1) He is paid to be the guy who gets under the skin of the opposition.
2) He's supposed to obstruct the view of the goalie on the Power Play.
When did it become a rule that he has to be facing the puck at all times? He did not lay a hand on Brodeur when he was screening him, and I don't see how this is "interference." Pretty soon we'll be at a point when the NHL decides that we need to extend the boundaries of the goalie crease to make sure goalies have more room to be "safe."
Honestly I think the NHL Front Offices should be embarrassed at their decision, and not the actions of Sean Avery.
2 months ago
The NHL is dumb, I would love to see more players turning their backs on plays to draw penalties from goalies, or at least get them mad.
also, comparing this to basketball, what avery did is no different than putting your hand in a shooters face, or trying to block the view of a player trying to inbound the ball.
It's really not unsportsmanlike to set a screen, if thats the case, stick checking should be illegal too.
When goalies leave the crease they shouldn't be fair game. but they shouldn't be as protected by the rules. you can't expect a player gliding to the front of the net trying to set up in front of the goalie at the top of the crease to know a goaltender is going to come out further regardless of his past playing style
2 months ago
really, avery didn't do anything that BROKE A RULE necessarily. there is no rule in the rulebook that disallows the waving of the stick in front of the goaltender's face. the real issue here is what happened to the NJ defensive corps, who were too busy being inundated by the NYR offensive attack and didn't bother to cover avery. no matter what type of player is on the ice, you HAVE TO COVER HIM. if it was peter worrell out there the same thing would have happened, and worrell wouldve scored too, because even though he's a terrible player, he's still in the NHL for a reason. same goes for avery.
at the same time, i think it was a good call by the NHL to make the rule on-the-fly because it will get rid of the notion of letting other terrible players like avery around the NHL do the same thing he did to brodeur. overall, i like what the NHL is doing about this situation, but really avery did something unique that no one else has thought of, and thanks to gary bettman, no one ever will.
from 2 months ago
It is complete garbage that the NHL can make up a rule during the playoffs.
I like Bill Parcells' reasoning when the NFL was considering only having instant replay for the playoffs:
"If it's good enough for the regular season, it's good enough for the playoffs."
The games leading up to the playoffs mean just as much as the playoffs themselves.
2 months ago
sean avary is a god in hockey he is needed and essential to this game so what if he got in his face it is part of the game golies will get knocked down so i think you just hate everyonewho isnt a new jersey devil
2 months ago
i totally agree with jemal, avary is a solid player who has fun with his play so he is screening the golie its part of the game get over it he can do what he wants to screen him so suck it up just because your prized goile was getting screened im sure new jersey screened lunquavist so dont be so biast
2 months ago
Ok so a lot of people keep asking why the Devils d-men didn't take Avery out from in front of the crease....let's do some simple math guys....
Rangers have a 5 on 3....if one Devil sticks with Avery, then it becomes a 4 on 2...if no one gets Avery, it's a 4 on 3...Brodeur is one of the greatest goalies ever, therefore, he can probably handle Avery in front of him while the rest of the team kills the penalties (which he did; the goal came on the next sequence). Now, if a Devil takes Avery and it becomes 4 on 2, you're gonna end up with an easy goal for the Rangers, probably a cross ice pass similar to the one the Bruins beat Montreal on in game 3. (notice how open a net Savard had on that shot)
Another thing brought up was the comparison to basketball a few posts above. Well, actually, in basketball, putting a hand in a opponent's face is called faceguarding, and it's a technical in the rule book. Sorry to ruin your point. About Bruce Bowen to the other poster, Bruce Bowen is a dirty player. Yes, he is. Anyone who has played basketball and watched him knows it. He'll break someone's ankle by putting his foot under a shooter for when they land (among other stuff). Let me tell you, that is a dangerous thing for the shooter, I've had that happen to me.
And about the people saying it was not against the rules, well, that is what the term bush league is for. Things that aren't against the rules, but are just ridiculous/dirty/breaks the unwritten rules. If Avery was just standing facing Brodeur, that'd be one thing. Even waiving the hands isn't TOO bad. But waiving the stick in his face is uncalled for. You can tell the corner ref thought so too; he was directly watching Avery and Brodeur when Brodeur shoved and then hit Avery with his stick, and didn't call anything.
Personally, I don't like the Devils one bit, as they have beaten my team in the finals before, but I can't say I agree with Avery's tactics.
-Paul
2 months ago
Avery is a goon, always has been. Now yes he is an enforcer and an agitator, two positions any playoff team needs filled in a series like the one Jersey finds itself in but next time Avery wants to act like a fool he needs to have more respect for the game. Classless players are never liked, its possible to be an enforcer and not be a goon. One name comes to mind, Brent Severyn, a man i know personally. I am afraid i do not see Avery having the character away from the ice like Brent does.
2 months ago
Are there any Ranger fans at all with any intelligients? Judging by these comments here--it seems they were written by a 6 year old.
2 months ago
He is a great player with a bad attitude. Period.
2 months ago
I LOVE SEAN AVERY!
Marty couldn't even shake hands with him at the end of game 5 - very immature! Oh well, have fun playing golf! =)
Rangers All The Way!
2 months ago
I know nothing about hockey.
But is it seems none of you do either. How come half of you say it is a rule and the other half say it isn't a rule? Every aspect of these plays has been argued on this thread with differing views on the applicability of the rules.
Somebody - Research the rule and post it. I can't even spell NHL, so I couldn't be bothered trying myself.
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