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Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Sean Avery

Wednesday
December 17, 2008

There is a fascinating story going on in the NHL with the Dallas Stars and left wing Sean Avery. Avery, who signed a four-year, $15.5 million deal with the Stars this past June, was suspended for six games for making this statement:

"I just wanted to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds."

That one sentence landed Avery not only a suspension but a promise from the Stars' top brass that he won't be playing for Dallas after that suspension ends.

Sean Avery and Elisha Cuthbert
Avery and Cuthbert, March 2006.

The comment has been widely interpreted to be directed at Calgary's Dion Phaneuf, who is now dating actress Elisha Cuthbert (who plays the daughter of Jack Bauer on 24); Cuthbert and Avery had previously been in a relationship. Perhaps Avery had a point, though: Kings forward Jarret Stoll is dating another of Avery's ex-girlfriends, Rachel Hunter (who is 10+ years older than Avery and 12+ years older than Stoll, but that's another story for another time).

Avery has had a colorful past in the NHL (and he even found a loophole in the rulebook that had to be fixed via the Sean Avery rule), and the Stars were well aware of his past bizarre antics when they signed him. Yet less than six months later, Avery managed to wear out his welcome in Dallas. Perhaps Tony Romo should have given him some tips from how he handled his break-up with Carrie Underwood. Though, to be fair, it's not like Underwood then started dating John Lynch.

The NHL has a rich history of grudges being settled on the ice, but perhaps Avery didn't like his chances on that front. Consider this: Avery is 5'9" and weighs 185 pounds, while Phaneuf is 6'3" 215 pounds and Stoll is 6'1" 210 pounds. It wouldn't be the first time that Avery was accused of ducking a fight, though Avery has shown before that he isn't afraid to throw down. But, obviously, taking the public speaking approach to make his point didn't quite work out so well for Avery.

It is interesting to me on several levels that Avery got in trouble because used his mouth and not his fists. Was it the use of the phrase "sloppy seconds" that got him in so much trouble? What if Avery had said "she was mine before she was yours" (quoting Ric Flair from 1992) or used the term "former girlfriends" instead of "sloppy seconds"? These aren't rhetorical questions -- I legit wonder what the line is there.

Would there have been more honor in Avery sneaking up on Phaneuf and cold-cocking him with a cross-check? That would have gone against the etiquette of hockey fighting, but I suspect Dallas wouldn't be looking to ship him out of town because of it. Avery, as mentioned in the article linked in the last sentence, has shown in the past that he's not afraid to hit someone from behind.

Perhaps this is Avery's past catching up with him in more ways than one, but I wonder what else might have gone on behind the scenes in Dallas. Avery was already a known loose cannon before he signed with the Stars. But because Avery made some shoot comments about guys in the league who are with his ex-girlfriends, without naming any names, now he has gone over the line to becoming a persona non grata in Dallas and a pariah in the NHL? Something doesn't add up there -- there must be more to the story. At least I hope there is.


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