The sad part of all the Avery drama is people forgetting how good of a player he is. The numbers are not there this season, but Avery is a tremendous skater, a solid playmaker, and can be used in any situation. He can be a key cog on a Stanley Cup-winning team.
Or he can take his notoriety and walk away from the game. He can become a full-time celebrity, date more hot actresses, and further explore his love for the fashion world.
And it appears Avery will need to make this decision while attached to another organization.
Although its options are somewhat limited, it is more likely than not that Dallas will rid itself of Avery. The team could look to trade him, but he certainly has little value right now. His $3.875-million-dollar salary makes a waiver claim unlikely. The most probable scenario is Avery clearing waivers and being demoted to the AHL, but the Stars do not have a direct affiliate down there, so they would have to find a taker for Avery. The Manitoba Moose have already said no thanks.
Avery has done an unprecedented job of alienating himself from the hockey establishment. Here in the States, we have grown accustomed to misbehaving pro athletes, but none have suffered the backlash Avery is dealing with right now. No Dallas Cowboy spoke out when Jerry Jones acquired Pacman Jones. No Cincinnati Bengal boo-hooed when the troubled Chris Henry re-signed with the organization. Those guys had committed crimes; Jones is connected to a shooting that left a man paralyzed.
Three unnamed Star teammates told TSN that the dressing room is far better off without Avery. One went as far as saying, “There isn’t much he can say to change the way we feel right now. We have a lot of pride in this organization. He isn’t welcome here anymore.”
Head coach Dave Tippett added this: “I’m trying to build a team where the players care about each other, that has continuity. I find it hard to believe that Sean could come back into the room and we would have that continuity.”
This all began with Avery making a conscious choice to cause controversy. Gary Bettman has weighed in, and the Stars will soon, too. But only Avery can write the ending to this story. For those of us who appreciate what he can do on the ice, let’s hope he decides to behave and keep playing.
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One last thought on Avery’s overall punishment. Back in November 1997, Chris Simon received a 3-game suspension for directing a racial epithet at Mike Grier. There is no comparison between that and “sloppy seconds”. The punishment scale for improper remark cannot have inflated 100% in 11 years…
Good for Barry Melrose to lash out at management in Tampa Bay Tuesday on Toronto’s Fan 590. Oren Koules and Len Barrie’s firing of Melrose embarrassed one of the game’s best current ambassadors. Melrose absolved Koules of most of the blame, while indirectly pointing the finger at Barrie, who apparently badgered Melrose daily about who was and was not playing for the Lightning…Send your comments, thoughts, etc. to boguschhockey@gmail.com
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