After spending his tenure in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs provoking opponents and, literally, rewriting the rules on fair play, New York Rangers forward Sean Avery will not see the ice until next season. The 28-year-old lacerated his spleen at an unknown point in the Rangers’ home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 29th and checked into the hospital shortly after the game. While it is unfortunate for any player to be hurt, let alone during the playoffs, this particular injury seems to be the vengeance of the hockey gods. For a player whose title to most (opponents AND teammates) is a myriad of four-letter words rather than the more traditional, “mister,” this injury at this juncture was a long time coming.
You may have heard of his most recent antic: you know, the one in the first round of the playoffs against the Devils where he turned his back on the game and flailed around in front of Martin Brodeur to “set a screen.” Yeah, he’s that guy who made one of the NHL’s classier players (if you forgot about the affair with his sister-in-law) refuse to shake his hand at the end of the game. Brodeur commented that he’d never seen anything like it. Even Avery’s teammates and coach criticized his actions and the NHL even went so far as to change the rulebook in the middle of the playoffs to prevent similar situations from occurring this year. But really, no one should be surprised by the immature and ill-spirited play of Avery based on his reputation for being a dirty player based on his controversial career. He has recently been voted the NHL’s most hated player and has a litany of complaints against him, including racism. His previous team, the LA Kings, suspended him near the end of the 2007 season so they wouldn’t have to deal with him being around.
While it is unfortunate timing, as his team will need him if they hope to make a comeback against the white-hot Pens, a busted spleen seems to be a very fitting ending for a player who’s made more of a name for himself by being a moron than for scoring goals. And even though his team’s current opponents hope for him to have a speedy recovery and express their sympathies, I, along with many other hockey fans and players, am quite glad to see that Avery will not play for the remainder of the year. Just ask Marty Brodeur.
