Avery Rules

I just wanted to come out and say, even though I’m a Ranger fan, I find what Sean Avery did on Sunday night against the Devils unbelievable and in poor taste. I clearly think the “correct” option would be to kick Avery out of the league because of this thoughtless and rude act.

Brodeur was perfectly justified in his shots to Avery’s groin with the stick, and to Avery’s face with his glove. I would have done the same thing. Brodeur, after all, is a perfect example of class. He never over exaggerates (thus is never unsportsmanlike). He takes tiny bumps like a man. Why Avery decided to treat Martin Brodeur, one of the most respected goaltenders in the league, with such disrespect, I will never understand.



The Devils in general, have led the way in class with this series in particular. Parise and Langenbrunner didn’t throw their sticks in the hallway out of anger over an icing call (which, sarcasm aside, was clearly a wrong call). Madden didn’t follow the refs, screaming his brains out. There isn’t a recorded clip of a Devil yelling to Ryan Callahan “You’re a F---ing B----,” that was shown on the VS telecast. Lundqvist hasn’t received snow shower after snow shower. That’s why I feel so bad for Marty. Avery won’t leave him alone, but no one is crashing Lundqvist’s net.

That was clearly the most embarrassing thing that could have happened to the NHL. Chris Simon’s hit on Ryan Hollweg doesn’t hold a candle to what Avery displayed on that 5-on-3. It was clearly childish and immature.

In hockey, there are some unwritten rules that everyone in the league, besides Sean Avery, follow. This is because hockey players are held in such high regard for their class, on and off the ice. Hockey players don’t throw late checks. They don’t board or charge opposing players. They never –ever- lead with their elbows. Hockey players NEVER use their stick or their skates as a weapon. I have personally never seen a hockey player take a cheap shot and go for the knees. Hockey players may fight, but they fight gracefully. No one ever sucker punches. There is no history of players jumping into stands, fighting fans. This doesn’t exist in this perfect hockey world.

This is the thing I hate about Sean Avery, and the reason I wish he was off my team even though he happens to lead the team in postseason goals. Avery doesn’t go for knees. He doesn’t lead with his elbows. He isn’t called for boarding (any more often than the next guy). He does it with his mouth. His facial expressions. He waves his stick.

I applaud the NHL for taking immediate action. Clearly, this is so important this needed to be taken care of right away, regardless of the fact that we’re in the middle of a playoff series, and that this is probably just an isolated incident. Thank God the NHL had the audacity to change the rules half way through a playoff run. Otherwise, we’d have to deal with Sean Avery screening a goaltender while facing him and waving his stick in his face, for at least another three games. ::shudder:: The horror!!!

Mark Recchi said he wouldn’t do what Avery did, even to win game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. I know the great hockey men in the hall would agree. Mark Messier and Scott Stevens come to mind. They wanted to win, but they wouldn’t do ANYTHING to win. Very clean players, those two. Eric Lindros would vouch for it.

I know changing rules in the middle of a playoff series probably could get some people annoyed, and they would say the proper way to go about this would be to wait until the off season, and then discuss this with the board of governors and the Player’s Association. But this needed action, and it needed action immediately. And we all thought Bertuzzi and Simon were the disgraces to the league! I would add Pronger, but he doesn’t MEAN to step on people on purpose. No real talented defensemen would do that.

The moral here is that Sean Avery is a bad man. He is the most overrated despite his team-leading three goals! and hated despite not playing to hurt like some other players do player in the league, with good reason. Kick Sean Avery out of the league and return this mid-season rule-changing league to dignity!

Argue with me all you want. Sean Avery deserves his own rule for facing a goalie to screen him. Plus, I really like the new rule. I don’t think you should be able to screen a goalie if you’re not trying to make a play even though Hockey 101 teaches children to screen the goaltender. In fact, let’s take screening out all together.

I can’t wait until someone gets called for this new penalty! And we all know who it will be because the rule is made especially and only for him, and if someone else actually gets called for it, I'll be floored.

Thank you, Canadian media, for again blowing everything out of proportion. And thank you, NHL. America will respect you even more than they already do read: they don't for your random rule changing and overreacting to what is probably an isolated incident.