Baby Penguins Fear Sean Avery Returning to New York Rangers

"Bad-boy Avery’s coming to town" the headline said on CitzensVoice.com, referring to Wednesday's game when the  Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are scheduled to host the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Jonathan Bombulie, writing for Citizens Voice, said, "Like it or not, Sean Avery is the biggest attraction in the AHL these days, and he is scheduled to pay a visit to the Wachovia Arena this week."

"If Avery is in the lineup Wednesday, he’s a player the Penguins will have to account for," he added,  noting that  Avery is one of the premier agitators in hockey, having rankled opponents ranging from Georges Laraque to Darcy Tucker to Martin Brodeur over the years.

The Penguins have a record of 36-17-1, for 75 points. Hartford is 31-23-2-3, for 67 points. The Wolf Pack's third win in a row tied their longest winning streak of the season. They took sole possession of second in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of Portland. The Penguins saw a nine-game winning streak end with a 4-1 loss Saturday in Hamilton.

Avery has been handed just one minor penalty in Hartford, but he did punch Bridgeport’s Tyler Haskins square in the face while lining up for a face-off while the referee’s attention was elsewhere last Wednesday, he warned the Penguins.

“He’s an above average player in the NHL. When he comes down to this league, he’s a star,” Bombulie quoted Penguins winger Paul Bissonnette.

It was widely believed that the New York Rangers would acquire Avery’s rights and call him up after a conditioning stint with the Wolf Pack in an effort to spark the NHL club out of a slump, but the Rangers fired head coach Tom Renney on Monday, perhaps scuttling those plans.

Tortorella, as a television hockey commentator this season, had this to say about Sean Avery: "He's so rehearsed...It's just ridiculous...He should be suspended. Send him home," according to Newsday.com adding that "Soon those two feverish personalities could be co-saviors at the Garden."

The Pittsburgh Penguins' top minor league affiliate throughout the 1990s was the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL. The Penguins purchased the Cornwall Aces AHL franchise from the Colorado Avalanche and placed it in Wilkes-Barre. The team is affectionately referred to as "The Baby Penguins" by fans.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins interim head coach Todd Reirden remembers playing against Sean Avery in the AHL several years ago and says he is fully aware of Avery’s agitating, push-the-limits style of play and knows that his antics on the ice can make opposing players lose their cool, according to Tom Venesky, writing in the Times Leader.

It’s not that antics that Reirden is concerned about when Avery’s Hartford Wolf Pack visits the Penguins on Wednesday night, Venesky says. Reirden is more concerned about Sean Avery the hockey player, not the pest.

He  quoted the Penguins' Paul Bissonnette describing Avery as a gifted hockey player.  Bissonette compared him to another NHL pest, Jarkko Ruutu, who is also good at getting under players’ skins and drawing penalties.

With both Avery and tough guy Brandon Sugden back in the lineup, Hartford’s toughness increases considerably, he notes

Bissonnette said Avery’s presence is good for the league and having Avery on the roster has helped attendance at Hartford games.