Sean Avery's Off-Broadway Debut Draws Rave Reviews

The reviews are rolling in for Sean Avery's off-Broadway debut last night, and they are raves.

With Sean Avery in the lineup for the first time, the Hartford Wolf Pack lost, 4-1, to the Manitoba Moose. Despite the loss, Moose coach Scott Arniel complimented Avery, saying it was easy to spot an NHL quality player on the AHL ice, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.

Avery played almost 20 minutes, registered three shots on net, was involved in two minor on-ice melees, did some chirping, and took no penalties.

He came to the defence of his new teammates late in the second period, putting himself into the middle of another fracas behind the Moose net and trading shoves with several Manitoba skaters, according to CBC Sports.

The Rangers want Sean Avery in their lineup because they are a team in need of a kick in the pants and an identity, according to Hockey Night In Canada Radio's Jeff Marek. Avery gives Rangers "a swagger," he claims in his blog on CBC.com.

Goals are an issue for New York, he says, but so is confidence.

"With Avery in their lineup, they had a swagger—a New York vibe about them. The Rangers looked like they came from New York every time Avery was on the game sheet.
Nobody can explain it, he says, but the evidence speaks for itself: With Sean Avery in the Rangers lineup, they are just a better team."

The fact of the matter is the super-pest should have never left Manhattan in the first place, says Ken Wiebe, who writes for Canoe.ca.

"By all accounts, Avery is a complex individual with plenty of interests outside of hockey—like his summer internship with Vogue—and in a place like New York, it's much easier for him to blend in," he says.

Avery helped at the box office, as the team drew 5,899 at XL Center for his Hartford debut, over 2,000 better than the average Wolf Pack crowd.