I worked in hockey for six years, seeing another side of the guys so many cheer for, idolize, and have their kids take pictures with.
Trust me, parents: you don't want to know, but you can probably imagine what the real lives of professional athletes are like. It's everything you would imagine with single hockey players...just more beer-soaked and sex-charged.
So when I hear that such a well-liked young man as Sean Avery made some public comments that many think were fired at a famous ex, it doesn't really shock me. Apparently, the NHL thought differently.
Avery—a member of the Dallas Stars—had finished with the morning pre-game skate as the team prepared for their Tuesday night tilt with the Calgary Flames. Then, he unloaded these comments to the media that was waiting to get some quotes for their stories, blogs, and columns:
"I'm really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada," started Avery before smirking. "I just wanted to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. But, enjoy the game tonight."
'Sloppy seconds' apparently was referring to Elisha Cuthbert, the little blonde bombshell actress 
of 24 and The Girl Next Door fame. You could say that Cuthbert is the Alyssa Milano of hockey as she has been romantically-linked with several skaters, including Avery, Montreal's Mike Komisarek, and Dion Phaneuf who plays for...you guessed it...Calgary!
Avery's diatribe was also likely directed at LA Kings center Jarret Stoll, who is dating model and former Rod Stewart wife Rachel Hunter—a former girlfriend of Avery's. Fans may hate Avery, but the chicks sure dig him! Maybe it's his taste in purses and fashion, discussed in this much-talked about ESPN piece that ran this summer.
A tasteless remark? I'd say so, but not as bad as many national media members are attempting to make it. Keep in mind: these guys are hockey players, and while Avery has been known as quite outrageous and a lightning rod for hatred, at least he provides some spice to a league that still needs flavor.
Believe me, he isn't the only guy thinking this stuff, but probably the only guy publicly saying it. It doesn't make it right, but it is what it is.
Remember Avery's stick-waving goaltender antics in last year's playoffs or calling the Flames' Jarome Iginla boring? He's annoying, but so is Terrell Owens. Every sport needs an antagonist and Avery is definitely the NHL's. Never underestimate the value of having a good villain...it makes for great ink and sound bites. Just look at how much play this is getting.
21 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
Rob Ohlstrom 7 months ago
I agree, I don't think that he should have been suspended, but don't compare Avery to Terrel Owens. Owens is a hall of fame talent who's killed teams and coaches, but at the end of the day he's been one of the best at what he does for the past ten years.
Players with Avery's talent are a dime a dozen.
The Stars made the Conference Finals last year.
This year they suck.
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Josh Nason 7 months ago
Hey Rob - Avery still gets paid though, doesn't he? Four years and $15 million from the Stars, added onto the other contracts he has acquired. You're right: he's not HOF-caliber but the attitude and media neediness?
100% identical.
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Rob Ohlstrom 7 months ago
Yeah, he get's paid, but you're missing my point. Owens is so good his play can outweigh all the negative stuff he does. Avery isn't.
And his teammates don't seem to like him.
He's a cancer.
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Matt Schaefer 7 months ago
I have to agree with you. Nice article.
I don't know why they didn't just let him play in the game and then he wouldve got the crap kicked out of him. It seems everytime there might be some contact or fights in hockey now, the league has to step in and suspend someone. Let the players take the matters into their own hands.
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Jacob Mowat 7 months ago
I argee with Matt why on earth would you suspend him for this game. He's already pissed off Iginla now he's pissed off Phanuf.I was just going to post an article like this but you probabley did it better.Good article.
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Clay Punk 7 months ago
Just look at what other leagues have done in this scenario.
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Caitlin Schulz 7 months ago
I think the NHL was completely justified in suspending Sean Avery. While there might be something to say about having a good antagonist in the game, this isn't how you do it. This wasn't an offhanded comment or something that just happened to come out during an interview. Avery specifically sought out a camera and knew exactly what he was going to say. That isn't classy, it certainly isn't very gentlemanly, and should definitely not have a place in this league. It's one thing to trash another player on and off the ice. It is a completely different thing to attack the people in the player's personal life. If Avery has an issue with Phaneuf, he should have aired it on the ice with some good smack talk, away from the cameras. If he has a problem with his ex-girlfriend(s), he could have talked to her while they were dating, breaking up, or in private. This kind of cheap gossip isn't something we should expect from Avery. That being said, we do, and it's disgusting.
Avery should have to face some consequences, and I think it is a perfectly viable option for the league to suspend him, and Dallas to not let him play for the franchise. He was disrespectful to his teammates, his management, the league, and his ex-girlfriends.
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Dave Gainer 7 months ago
Naaa the suspension is just. The NHL can't send a message message to folks saying its OK to talk like that to the media. Looking at the big picture, they had to take him off the ice to a avoid a future all out brawl between Calgary and Dallas. Dion Phaneuf may not retaliate but 1 of his buddies may retaliate. and then you got big problems. I know they don't play till 2/03/09...but a fine is not enough punishment for this situation. Look at Avery's past transgressions and you can see a pattern of abnormal behavior. The best way to make sure this doesn't happen again, is to take away a player's ice time. The Stars would have took away ice time also if the NHL didn't. Sticks and stones break your bones, but disrespectful words cause permanent damage.
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Josh Nason 7 months ago
What permanent damage? Is Phaneuf or Kommiserak going to be scarred for life? C'mon...that would be one of the most emotionally-charged regular season games in years and Avery would have been dealt justice. Instead, he got a suspension for making an off-hand comment.
Gary Bettman is the ultimate wimp.
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Alan Bass 7 months ago
While I respect your opinion and this very well written article, I have to disagree with you...
The NHL is trying to gain popularity, and although Avery's antics usually are good for coverage on ESPN, this is not what the NHL needs. When the league is trying to get parents to take their eight year old kids to a hockey game or introduce them to the game on TV, parents are not going to like those comments, and as crazy as it sounds, ultimately, the NHL may lose some fans from this.
Don't get me wrong, I was laughing my butt off when I read this quote. But as a professional athlete, you can't make perverted and childish comments to the media. True, Terrell Owens has done similar things. But wasn't he suspended by his team, too??
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Josh Nason 7 months ago
Yes, TO was suspended by the Eagles for 'conduct detrimental to the team'. If Avery was suspended by the Stars, I would have been fine with that even though I'd have to understand how his comments were detrimental.
I highly doubt the NHL is going to lose any fans from this. Considering what is happening in all of the other major sports out there, this is hardly a blip on the radar.
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Alan Bass 7 months ago
Very true. Like I said, I thought the quote was funny, but when you're a pro athlete, you can't make a comment like that.
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Glenn Card 7 months ago
I have to agree with you. It seems as all the sports leagues are trying to control their players to the point that they are all vanilla carbon copies of each other. I’ve expressed similar thoughts for the NFL see my article:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/82917-if-the-nfl-keeps-dumbing-down-the-characters-they-will-lose-my-interest
The other argument that you run up against is that he doesn’t make a good role model for the kids. No Kidding. If your kid is idolizing Avery, then as a parent you’ve got some more work to do. These guys aren’t heroes they are sports stars.
These players do have their own lives beyond the game. Is he an ASS for making it a very public statement? You bet he is. If you want to fine the guy for shooting off his mouth fine but let’s keep this in perspective. It's not like he walked into a night club with a loaded gun (Plaxico).
This guy is known for being a little outrageous and the Stars signed him to bring some toughness to the team and raise some excitement amongst the fan base. They got what they paid for. The league has no business stepping into this.
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Ken Armer 7 months ago
The NHL isn't wrong in its discipline, but the Media is wrong for the way it blows this out of proportion.
Never in my time as a Community Leader or in the short time as Community Coordinator for the NHL section have I avoided Bleacher Report because of the garbage copy and pasting from major news sources to here that many writers have chosen to do on this subject.
Thank you for not doing the copy and paste of dry facts! Thank you for truly contributing how this network is meant to be.
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mm mm 7 months ago
girlfriends and wives should definitely be left out of trash talking...thats way too low. leave that kind of talk to the movies (reggie dunlop and the chiefs).
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Greg Caggiano 7 months ago
Four years is all I have to say. FOUR YEARS.
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Gary Nolan 7 months ago
Typical NHL.....suspend a player for a comment that has nothing to do with hockey yet they turn a blind eye to all the elbows and hits from behind!
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Oz 7 months ago
I can't believe they suspended him. Rubbish! I would have got PPV to see that game!!!!
NHL is the KHL's sloppy seconds. Well....not really. But I'm really annoyed I didn't get to see Avery get beat on....and I have to blame someone.
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Dave Gainer 7 months ago
Avery's track record is what got him suspended, those idiotic comments were just the straw that broke the camel's back.
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David Berman 7 months ago
I can't believe that they took away the most interesting and fun player to watch in the NHL. The NHL never makes any news stories and yesterday this was the lead story on Sportscenter and many other new networks. Yes the commet was crud and tastless however he said no names when making the commete, I am not dumb we all know who he was talking about but because of the way he did and who he is and becase Garry Bettmen is a loser we have to suspend him. Thanks Garry now I have to go watch Iginla be uninteresting again. I guess in Canada there is no Freedom of Speach, God Bless the USA where we can say what we want.
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S Burr 6 months ago
The NHL suspended him for his conduct AND for the exact same reason they give game misconducts for certain hits and dirty plays... there would have been a brawl on the ice, and someone may have been hurt... badly. If you find that entertaining, then that's fine. But perhaps you should be watching cage fighting instead.
This is the NHL, not a circus side show.
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