Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Give a second to think of a sloppy statement

Sean Avery. There, the unique visits just shot up 125 per cent. It’s a sloppy way to get the hits up, but when you’re second like us you have to try harder. We were going to fill this spot up with another indignant response to Avery’s sloppy attempt at smack talk today. He’s always played second fiddle to the league’s better players in that department.

However, on second thought we decided that we just couldn’t bring ourselves to print what he said. It would be sloppy journalism. And since we aren’t going to do that we had best not comment. After all, without the benefit of providing the full statement to provide full context people’s might start to base their opinion on Avery on assumptions of what he said, rather than what was actually said. But, we would never be so sloppy as to print the words that came out of his mouth. As reporters, we are beyond talking in such a way and the purity of our industry would suffer. Of that, there can be no second guesses.

So, you’ll have to go elsewhere to learn what he said. Maybe one of those sloppy blogs that are always second best.

* OK, so he’s a sophomoric and possibly misogynistic twit. We get that. It’s unfair that he makes millions of dollars to play hockey and gets to date women that could appear on the cover of Maxim. Life is unjust that way. But, for the NHL, a league that justifies Todd Bertuzzi’s mugging of Steve Moore, suspending Sean Avery indefinitely for saying “I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight..." Give me a break. Have you been in a hockey dressing room? Avery is being suspended because he doesn’t play by the rules of some screwed-up code. If, say, Brenden Morrow, that good Saskatchewan boy, had said it you can bet that every “insider” this side of Red Deer would be lining up to say “Yes, he shouldn’t have said it. But, boys will be boys. Weren’t you young once.”

Related:
Where are the NHL’s priorities? (Kukla's Korner)

4 comments:

sager said...

I think he was suspended for saying, "I love Canada."

Dennis Prouse said...

Love the Jack Bauer tag. :-)

Part of me wishes that they hadn't suspended him, but rather insisted that he play at least 20 minutes against Calgary. That way, he and Phaneuf could, you know, chat.

If you read the news reports on this, it is clear that Avery's act has already worn thin in Dallas. Both Turco and Brad Richards made pretty terse remarks that were not at all difficult to interpret, and earlier Modano spoke out about him.

It serves Dallas right - they threw $15 million and four years at this guy knowing that he could blow at any time, and was a potentially divisive presence to have in the room. Now he has, in fact, made himself into a pariah in the room, but the Stars are stuck with him.

Ian Hunter said...

I wonder if Brett Hull is wondering what the return policy is on Sean Avery?

Anonymous said...

Avery's act hasn't worn thin in Dallas...it's completely worn out.
His team mates can barely hide their contempt for him when asked about Avery in interviews.
Modano and Turco especially are just plain fed up with this post adolescent jerk.
Brett Hull?
As a GM, he was a great back checker.
For a ton of money, Hull bought himself a bill of goods and a lot of grief.