Some thoughts on Sean Avery

I guess I picked a bad week to give up sniffing glue…

No, seriously, a combination of having my boss leave at the start of the month, picking up a copy of the office head cold that’s been going around, and realizing OMFGITSDECEMBER sort of distracted me from blogging about stuff for a bit.

The cold is finally receding, so I can think, work is finally setting down with the new boss and an understanding of who’s picking up what pieces, and I no longer feel like I’m going to show up for christmas dinner a week late — although I’ll be two weeks late getting the frigging christmas tree up this year. Part of me almost says “don’t bother”, but I’ll regret it if I do.

But it’s given me some time to watch everyone else talk about (and posture over) Avery and think through this thing a little bit more.

When I spoke last on Avery (damn, less than a week ago. how time flies when you’re having fun), I said:

For those wondering why he was suspended for this comment, you can’t take this in isolation. It’s not THIS comment, it’s that this is just the LATEST of a string of increasingly out of control comments. And that’s the real issue here

And I believe that’s been proven out. The suspension wasn’t really about what he said (sorry, people who want to be over-picky about the appropriateness of his comments) but that he said it. It’s come out that he’s been called to the carpet two previous times (at least) by the league, having had chewing-out sessions with both bettman and colin campbell in separate situations. Bettman told him if he stepped out of line again,he’d be suspended. He stepped out of line. He got suspended.

That’s why just looking at the situation is easy for those looking for an easy reason to complain, but life’s never that simple.

Worse, it’s clear Avery has personal issues he needs to deal with. That’s what “anger managment” is all about; it’s PC code for “you’re going to sit down with a shrink and we’re going to try to get you help”. Anger is only one aspect this could be about, but when you start reading the various things that have been popping up, the larger picture of Avery is really pretty sad (for example, try here and here )

That the team was considering waiving him BEFORE this happened is telling. So is that team members went to Jackson in the pre-season to say it wasn’t working and he was ripping up the locker room.

In some ways, I think the league did Avery a favor here. They took the action out of the Stars hands — and it was clear the Stars management was all set for a nuclear wasteland. By suspending Avery and giving him six games, he gives both Avery and the stars a chance to calm down and think it through — which just might give Avery a chance to repair some of the damage and not find himself thrown off the team permanently.

It ALSO avoids a major war with the NHLPA, at least for now. It seems the PA is willing to accept the six game suspension, but from comments made by Paul Kelly, any attempt to suspend the contract would start the fight. I don’t blame the NHLPA, either, the suspension of Avery by the league is a precedent that starts a slippery slope the PA doesn’t want players on, but it looks like the PA is willing to accept that. If the stars try to void the cointract, however, all hell will break loose.

Given how obviously pissed everyone in stars management was at this and how Avery played them all for fools, an attempt to void the contract (“damn the contracts and call the lawyers!” by Hicks was almost inevitable. Bettman and the league has stepped in and created a situation that has given all involved some time to get the tempers out of control — and honestly, I think he deserves credit for that. Not that people will give it to him.

In any event, it’s now basically up to Avery. Maybe this was the kick in the pants he needed; maybe he’ll regress. We’ll see.

If I were the Stars, I’d waive him, send him to some place in the AHL, and tell him he has to earn his way back on the team. I doubt a contract voiding would survive the NHLPA and a court fight, and no other NHL team’s going to touch him (Ray Emery has a better chance of hitting the NHL right now) — but if Avery takes his “anger management” seriously and works to prove he’s trying to solve whatever issues cause scenes like this), and he goes to the AHL and shuts his mouth and plays hard and works hard and keeps his life straight — then maybe.

Honestly, though, I doubt he will. I don’t think it’ll be that simple or the ending will be that happy. But it’s really up to Avery to make lemonade or throw the lemons at old ladies…

And ultimately, the person who most deserves an apology from him is Brett hull, who got thrown under a fleet of busses here. Hull has to explain to his owner that they wasted millions of dollars of the owner’s money on — THIS — but he still desrves to be a GM for the Stars. I find that a hard thing to believe Hicks will remember fondly in future years, you know?

And that’s really the bottom line in all of this. WHAT he said really doesn’t matter here. It’s that he DID say it, the context of when and how he said it, and his history of these kind of out of control behaviors that led to this. And honestly, six games is a lot better for him than many of the things that could have happened if the league hadn’t stepped in… The league probably did him a big favor here; one wonders if he’ll take advantage of it…

I’m guessing not.

You might also want to read:

1. Two cents worth on Sean Avery This isn’t so much an essay on Avery and the suspension as some random thoughts and reactions. If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about...
2. Is Sean Avery good for hockey? KuklasKorner : Hockey: A friend of mine (not a Rangers fan) argues that—love him or hate him—Sean Avery is good for hockey in many ways....
3. my thoughts on the sharks… In a hockey writing mood tonight — catching up, in some ways, for the last couple of weeks when I’ve been off thinking through stuff...
4. thoughts on the sharks trades at the deadline… So as usual, Doug Wilson took my advice, and made two deals at the trade deadline. Ville Niemenen for a pick? I really like. He’s...
5. Roenick gets whacked. Avery gets stupid. The Chronicle Journal – National: Flames defenceman Denis Gauthier is getting knocked for his hitting style Avery’s comments, which appeared on TSN’s website, came in...