Zen and the Art of Puckface: Sean Avery Finally Dishes on Anger Management

Call it Zen and the Art of Puckface: An hour after winning a fight over the NHL's hit leader, Cal Clutterbuck, the New York Rangers' Sean Avery finally dished on Anger Management, fighting, fashion, female fans, and his new restaurant plans.

The working title of the movie about Sean Avery is Puckface. He says there is a little devil on his shoulder. During his suspension from the NHL, Avery checked himself into a residential program in Los Angeles for two weeks of anger management therapy.

He also went to the Canyon, a rehabilitation center in Malibu, CA. After his time there, he got a tattoo on the inside of his right arm saying,“You used to be alright, what happened?” It's a quote from a Radiohead song.

He meditates. He does breathing exercises when he gets upset. He is a little more Zen in his thinking now.

He is a partner in a restaurant and bar set to open in TriBeCa called Warren 77. The new spot will have a vintage sports theme and will be located on Warren Street. TriBeCa is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, an abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street."

He prefers Dries Van Noten suits.

He plants to create a line of designer athletic wear that fits in the gap between Y-3 and Stella McCartney.

Just before a fight in a hockey game, with twenty thousand fans screaming, or chanting his name, he experiences a moment of stillness and quiet. He calls it "the most honest moment of clarity I have on any level of life."

Beau Flynn, a Hollywood producer (and Ms. Flynn’s brother), sold a movie idea to New Line Cinema focusing on Mr. Avery’s time at a fashion magazine.

At Vogue, he did everything from schlepping clothes back and forth from Steven Klein’s studio, to trying to get b-roll on a photo shoot in L.A.

All this and more was revealed by Michael Nagle, writing for The Saturday New York Times in an article called The Demon On His Shoulder.

Nagle called Avery, a charmer off the ice with a fashion sense even sharper, perhaps, than David Beckham’s, and a fashion dandy who counts the designer Vera Wang and the actor Tim Robbins as friends—and has twice led the National Hockey League in penalty minutes.'

Avery has turned New Yorks fashionistas into hockey fans. At last Sunday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, Kirsten Dunst, the actress; Joanna Coles, the editor of Marie Claire magazine; Matt Abramcyk, an owner of the Beatrice Inn, and designer Narciso Rodriquez, joined Rangers fans at MSG to cheer on Avery and the Rangers.

Female fans lined up for hours after the game at the player exit of Madison Square Garden, waiting for Avery autographs.

Nagle quoted Rodriguez saying “He’s knowledgeable. He follows fashion. He knows who the designers are, who are the good ones he likes.”

He quoted Lauryn Flynn, the head of V.I.P services for Burberry, saying he reads about fashion voraciously. “He’s read biographies of Lagerfeld, every possible thing you can get on Coco Chanel," she said.

Nagle says Avery punched an opponent repeatedly in the skull and an hour later stood in a locker room at MSG discussing men’s fashion.

He quoted Avery talking about his anger, saying,“It’s like that little devil on your shoulder. I have to keep him under control.”

He quoted Bob Williams, the chief executive of Burns Entertainment and Sports Marketing, saying that Avery is in danger of veering into Dennis Rodman territory.

The Rangers turn down many media requests for interviews so he can stay focused on the game.

He is a hockey player who has come a long way since his days in Pickering, Ontario, and playing his junior hockey for the Owen Sound Platers.