Devil's Advocate: Playing "Defence" For Sean Avery

Was Sean Avery punished for being politically incorrect, according to the values of the NHL?

Sean Avery appeared in the movie about Maurice Richard, and now there is a movie in the works about Sean Avery.

When Richard was penalized during a home game with the Canadiens and suspended by the NHL, the Richard Riot broke out, which exploded into downtown Montreal.

When Sean Avery was suspended indefinitely by the NHL for saying something naughty on TV, hockey pundits had a riot vilifying him.

Who came to his defence?

Not even Brett Hull, his former housemate, came to his defence. This is the same guy who took him under his wing when he was a rookie. Despite being the GM of the team that hired and fired Avery, Hull had nothing to say.

From NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the league's enforcer, Colin Campbell, to GMs', coaches, and players, nobody even played devil’s advocate when Avery was banned from the Stars and the NHL. Not even one reporter or hockey blogger spoke up.

"Idiot," said the bloggers.

"How rude," lamented the hockey players.

"Jerk," said Don Cherry.

For two and a half months, while Avery was in anger management, nobody defended the hockey player nick-named "The Animal."

Not even Men’s Vogue, where he was guest editor months before, had anything to say.  People—a magazine which called him one of the sexiest men alive only a year earlier—was silent.

The New York Times, The New York Post, and The New Yorker were mute, even though Avery stories sold many copies of their publications in previous years.

When Avery annoyed the Devils’ goalie, Martin Brodeur, and then scored on him, Avery was a hockey hero.

The New Jersey Devils were famous for using the neutral zone trap and boring hockey, so nobody had been able to get to their goalie for years.

When Avery got into Brodeur's crease and in his face, a tee-shirt was created that said "Avery Rules!" Hockey fans were celebrating the moment.

Where was the army of Avery tee-shirt wearers when he was in Dallas's doghouse?

New York Rangers coach Tom Renney was the first to remind hockey fans that Avery played his heart out in New York.

While playing for the Rangers, Avery almost died when he got hit so hard and so often he suffered a lacerated spleen.

What did they want? Blood? Avery gave blood at the office!

Tom Renney called Avery “a great teammate.” Rangers team captain Chris Drury said that Avery “literally played his guts out for us.” Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist described Avery as “a great player.”

Former teammate Brendan Shanahan, now playing for the Rangers’ rivals from across the river, the Devils, was next to remind the hockey world of Avery’s skills, work ethic, desire, and willingness to do anything for his team.

Rangers fans are starting to chant, "Bring back Avery! Bring back Avery!"

It is a remarkable turnaround. Few villains in any arena have turned into heroes, but it does happen once in a blue moon.

Magneto went from being a megalomaniac set on destroying the X-men to being the headmaster at Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Venom's sole goal was to kill Spiderman but he became a good guy, teamed up with Spidey, and got his own comic. Deadpool, Sabretooth, and Thanos are all comic book villains who became heroes devoted to truth, justice, and peace.

How far does Avery and the adulation go?

So far, there has been no backlash.

Nobody has blamed the Dallas Stars or Texas for the fact Avery did not fit in there.
Janis Joplin comes to mind. When she was in college in Texas, a Texas newspaper published an article about her with this headline: "She Dares To Be Different."

When she was in high school in Texas, Joplin was vilified for being different, too.
I can hear her singing the blues for Sean Avery, the hockey player voted most hated by his peers and People called the sexiest.

Did she not have a song about a bad boy hated by macho men but loved by women?

Few have said Avery's punishment was too much. He was suspended indefinitely for something he said.

It might have meant the end of his hockey career or playing the game for Minsk or some team in Siberia in the KHL. Avery could join Emery.

Meanwhile, hockey players in the NHL get two minute penalties for concussion-causing body checks and illegal elbows to the face.

Claude Lemieux was welcomed back to the NHL.

Reading behind the lines a bit, the message seems to be that violence is good but talking about sex on television is still a titanic taboo.

The subtext suggests Avery was punished not for being an agitator and instigator on the ice but for his adventures with Vogue, Men's Vogue, People, Maxim, and Hollywood.

Dating a Playboy and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, or Kitty Klein after she divorced Calvin Klein may have rubbed people the wrong way.

The NHL has come a long way from the days when big guys who skated badly were employed as goons and called policemen.

Now the NHL is policing the players more, and nobody is complaining about the way they are doing it.

A hockey movie called The Love Guru, with Mike Myers, satirized the NHL, but it bombed. Maybe the movie about Sean Avery at Men's Vogue, now in the works with New Line Cinema, will take off where the Love Guru ended.