The Sean Avery incident is now officially closed: Yeah, right
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The Dallas Stars’ Sean Avery received a six-game suspension and agreed to seek an anger management evaluation following the crude comments he made about ex-girlfriends who are now involved with other hockey players. That would be Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf and actress Elisha Cuthbert, and the Kings Jarret Stoll and actress Rachel Hunter.
Well, that’s settled. Nothing more to see here folks, so please move along.
At least, that’s the word from NHL cop-on-the-street Gary Bettman. The NHL commissioner who had this to say when asked during a news conference today whether Avery will face retribution when he returns to the ice to face the Flames and Kings.
‘Everybody who has any issues or concerns regarding that incident, they know it was dealt with and discipline has been imposed with what was done,’ Bettman said.
Yeah, that should do it.
Of course, Bettman may be thinking of a different NHL, one stocked with sugar plum fairies and dancing elves instead of Todd Bertuzzi and Donald Brashear.
This NHL has an elephant-never-forgets code of payback.
The Stars face the Kings on Jan. 17 and the Flames on Feb. 3 -- but don’t be surprised if nothing happens during the games. Players sometimes cool their skates for years before evening a score. They will wait for the right moment, when a game-misconduct penalty will not affect the outcome.
It remains to be seen how long Avery will remain a target for NHL retribution. And there are subtle, and not so subtle, messages that Avery may be running out of chances.
Avery’s publicist released an apology after the Stars reportedly declined to do so. ‘They operated independently on that effort,’ according to the team. ‘We were not involved.’
NHL teams generally handle the apologies, as the Kings did when Avery alienated French-Canadians in 2005.
Bettman said he has made it clear to Avery that, ‘he doesn’t want to be dealing with me again.’
Stay tuned.
-- Chris Foster