Yardbarker: Sean Avery

Our holiday hockey shirt guide, inspired by surging Ovi love

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:52:36 -0500

A few of these T-shirts were spotted after a recent Washington Capitals home game, as fans are obviously swelling with pride over Alex Ovechkin(notes)."Do you have a strange, pseudo-sexual devotion to a Russian professional athlete playing in your town or are you just happy to see me?"Well, never let it be said the Capitals fans are ashamed to stand up and be counted, although clearly this "Rock the Red" thing has been taken to new heights. Perhaps the most surprising thin...

Thanks For Giving Gilroy

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:20:00 -0500

After watching Matt Gilroy fight; it is a cinch that he is not a threat to Donald Brashear or even Aaron Voro's role as team enforcers but circle that moment because it could be one of the most important events of the Ranger season.

In it's own way what Gilroy did was just as important to the Ranger win as Henrik's saves or Parenteau's shootout efforts. But this moment might mean more down the road than even the 2 points the Rangers earned

That bit of blood that Gilroy shed in coming to what he felt was the defense of Vinnie Prospal just might be the turning point into bringing the Rangers closer as a team than anything else. That folks was old school hockey where it does not matter who it was "but you messed with my teammate and I am going to fight you."

That response is what should have happened anytime someone ran over Henrik, it should have happened when Drury got blindsided in Calgary and it should happen anytime someone appears to run a Ranger. Of course Gilroy picked a moment when Victor Oreskovich actually did hit Prospal cleanly but it was the appearance that mattered at the moment.

Gilroy as we saw in the fight also knows that he has no business being in a fight judging by his performance but his teammates saw the rookie stand up for a teammate. It is one of those events that can bring a team closer together in so many different ways.

You can start with Gilroy sending the message to the team that we need to stand together to protect each other. Toss in how it was protecting a key player as well as team leader in Vinnie Prospal and the message was sent loud and clear.

To the veterans on the roster, it helps build a bond with the younger players as what happened here can be used as a teaching moment. Guys like Brashear, Voros and Avery can give Voros some pointers on how to survive an NHL fight.

It will give the team some laughs as the fight was one in a way a rather ugly performance by Gilroy as if in the middle of things he realized he was in an actual fight and forgot what to do.

But hopefully the bigger lesson we hope the team gets is that they are in it together and that they need to stand up for each other. Give Gilroy all the credit in the world for wanting to protect his teammate as he saw the same player take out his defensive partner in the first period and said enough with hurting my teammates.

Hopefully the team will see that they need to protect their leaders as well as each other and put an end to the running of Rangers. If they do then the blood that Gilroy shed will be well worth it.

At the same time we also have to give John Tortorella some serious credit here too as in this situation the coach knew when to keep his mouth shut. Yes Gilroy's actions put the team in a bind, Gilroy's 17 minutes left the defense corp shorthanded.

It gave the Panther's a power play, it meant the team had only 4 defensemen for those 17 minutes but in watching Tortorella on the bench he deserves major credit for seeing how his players reacted and took the cue from it.

Tortorella saw the players loved what Gilroy did and did not ruin the moment even though you know inside that he was biting his tongue. Give the coach an assist here as he was smart enough to see how this could make his own life easier down the road.

Even being on the West Coast, we could still hear Mitch Beck of Howlings screaming "I told you so" after P. A. Parenteau scored his second game winning shootout goal in as many attempts.

Mitch has been saying for over a year that Parenteau deserved a legit shot by the Rangers as a reward for his hard work at Hartford. Parenteau has been proving him right since joining the Rangers with a 1-3-4 mark in the 6 games he has played.

If anything Parenteau is showing the Ranger Universe that hard work does deserve to be rewarded and it is hard for us to disagree. Parenteau has disproved every single knock that has been used to not give him his shot at making the NHL.

Parenteau has been responsible in his own end, in the games we have watched of him; Parenteau has stuck close to his check in the defensive zone and has not cherry picked at the blueline. Parenteau may come across as confident but in our eyes he is actually hiding his smarts as he has to know that he must make the best of this chance or else he might not ever get a chance at the NHL again.

We also love a player who forces the coach to use him because of his hard work not how fat his contract is. It is also hard to dispute that since Parenteau and Artem Anisimov became a line with Sean Avery that we are seeing a better performing Sean Avery on the ice.

It may sound crazy reading this but playing with the 2 more inexperienced NHLers is forcing Avery into playing the role of veteran on his own line which in turn is helping bring some badly needed maturity to Avery's game. We say that is a win-win for everyone here.

Except for us we might have to listen to Mitch pat himself on the back for a while (but he really earned it here as he was right and many of us were wrong).

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Just one prospect in action but his actions might cost him a game or two in the press box. Luke Walker (Traverse City) was held scoreless as his Portland Winterhawks got whipped by the Tri-City Americans 6-2.

Walker took a 5 minute major for elbowing along with the resulting game misconduct at 17:35 of the 3rd period which in the WHL tends to lead to a suspension. The Winterhawks as a team looked undisciplined here with 3 players earning 17-19 PIMs.

(Gilroy and Parenteau courtesy of the New York Rangers)

Avery's edge is missing

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:22:04 -0500

He may look like Sean Avery, the king of pests, but he's been anything but edgy this season, Larry Brooks says.

Video: Rangers outnumber Canucks 10-7 in scrum; Avery fun

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:56:43 -0500

Terrifically odd scene last night in the third period of the Vancouver Canucks' 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers: Marian Gaborik(notes) gives Ryan Kesler(notes) the weakest slash to the leg in recent memory, sparking a fight-less melee during a line change that actually had 10 players on the ice for New York. Once that situation was defused -- and it did look like it was going to boil over a few times into an old school 1970s sprawling slugfest -- the action moved to the benches, whe...

Avery Accused Of Sizism

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:38:16 -0500

(the phrase, “have another doughnut, you fat pig”, is of course, trademarked by Jim Schoenfeld) Did NHLPA interim executive director Ian Penny jump or was he pushed? Who gives a **** when we’ve got another sensational item involving hockey pariah Sean Avery? The fashionista / loose cannon’s former AHL coach, current Capitals boss Lou [...]

Avery Accused Of Sizism

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:38:16 -0500

Avery Accused Of Sizism

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:38:16 -0500

Sean Avery feels Caps coach has a slight weight problem

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:35:05 -0500

Washington Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau has a book coming out this week called "Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer" (co-written by hockey writer Tim Leone), and it captures the quirky career ("Slap Shot!") and Cinderella rise of the jovial skipper.Japers' Rink excepted several chapters from the book during the summer, and they ranged from the expectedly self-deprecating to the near-tragic, as Boudreau recalled nearly being on one of the planes that went down on 9-11...

Sean Avery's Sloppy Seconds back on 24

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:52:18 -0500

Elisha Cuthbert, aka Sean Avery's Sloppy Seconds, was on 24 last night. We bring you pics of her

Sean Avery will not bukakke your ugly mug

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:01:02 -0500

by Mr. E, Staff Writer Single handedly putting hockey back on the map, this Sean Avery guy seems to be quite a bit of fun. Only a few days ago, Avery was busted for some remarks he made about an ex. Now, we're catching wind of some comments he made to an actual fan who was in attendance at a past ...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Sean Avery

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:04:10 -0500

This gets you suspended from the NHL indefinitely...

And Now We Play The Waiting Game

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:25:25 -0500

Commissioner Gary Bettman has finished meeting with Sean Avery, and now we play the waiting game. As Homer Simpson once famously said "Oooh...The waiting game sucks. Let's play hungry hungry hippos!" Avery met with Bettman, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, Senior Executive Vice President Colin ...

The 12 Hottest "Sloppy Second" WAGS

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:25:48 -0500

In light of Sean Avery's "sloppy second" comments, we decided to look back at some WAGS who have definitely had their run with men in their lives. In fact, most of them aren't just sloppy seconds, but thirds and fourths in many cases. And while most of these WAGS have ridden the athlete train, a few are having their first go around. Nonetheless, their famous exploits with others are listed here.

Sean Avery suspended discussing the "Ghost of Vagina Past"

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:14:24 -0500

by Mr. E, Staff Writer The NHL has suspended Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery indefinitely. The suspension was handed down for making "inappropriate public comments, not pertaining to the game." And if you're wondering what those comments are, it has to deal with the fact that someone else is now ...

Sean Avery dating Kelly Klein

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:02:06 -0500

Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery has dated his fair share of famous Hollywood including Rachel Hunter and one of my personal favorites Elisha Cuthbert. Now Page Six reports the 28 year old has "skated" onto 51 year old Kelly Klein; the ex-wife of fashion designer Calvin Klein. Seems like Kelly always falls for the guys with impeccable fashion sense.