Avery Out Until December 16th

After a three hour meeting between Sean Avery and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the NHL has announced they are suspending Avery for six games retroactive to Tuesday. Meaning Avery will not be eligible to play until December 16th. Of course that is if the Stars want him back on the ice, since reportedly his teammates and coaches are not big fans of his right now and the team is apparently shopping him around the League.

As a part of his punishment, Avery was forced to under go an anger management evaluation and is required to “follow through with that process” if he would like to be back on the ice. I hope Tony Stewart isn’t student teaching that class.

Commissioner Gary Bettman had this to say:

“Mr. Avery has been warned repeatedly about his conduct and comments, which have too often been at odds with the manner in which his more than 700 fellow players conduct themselves. Playing in the National Hockey League is a privilege, requiring a high standard of personal behavior. Mr. Avery forfeits that privilege for six games."

I think the crux of this suspension, or at least the only way I’m justifying this in my head, is based more a pattern of behavior and the fact that he called together a press conference to insult his ex-girlfriend than the “sloppy seconds” comment itself, which as I mentioned on Tuesday, I’m pretty sure a 13 year old girl has written nastier and more vulgar things on a myspace page than what came out of Sean’s mouth.

However, comparatively speaking, if this is the worst off-ice act an NHL player has committed so far this year, the League should consider itself lucky, because in just the past six days, two New York area football players have been arrested, one for shooting himself in the leg and the other for possession of marijuana. Not too mention, at the worst Avery hurt somebody’s feelings, it’s not like he fractured someone’s face by hitting him from behind, a problem more deserving of commisioner Bettman's time.
(Photo: Frank Franklin II/AP; source)