Avery Tarnishes All
Excerpt from SADOWSKI: Take A Shot At Getting Sundin
(from the Rocky Mountain News)
By Rick Sadowski
Rocky Mountain News
December 4, 2008 - Avalanche forward Ian Laperriere is hardly surprised Sean Avery is in trouble again, this time for making crude, calculated remarks after a morning skate about Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Pfaneuf and his girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert.
Avery, a Dallas Stars forward, has been suspended by the NHL and had a hearing Thursday with league commissioner Gary Bettman.
Laperriere has made no secret of his dislike for Avery since the time they were teammates in Los Angeles.
"As hockey players, we like to think that we're just normal guys that got lucky with a gift, and this guy wants to be different, the dark horse of all of us," Laperriere said. "That's what drives me nuts - we work so hard to keep a clean image, and then you've got a guy like that who goes out of his way to be the bad guy. He got exactly what was coming to him."
The Stars signed Avery to a four-year, $15.5 million contract as a free agent last summer, but coach Dave Tippett has made it known the abrasive wing is no longer welcome in the locker room.
"From a coach's standpoint, I try to build a team that has an atmosphere where players care about each other and play with each other and play with continuity, and I find it hard to believe that Sean could come back in that dressing room and we could find that continuity again," Tippett told reporters.
"It's frustrating for me to go out and defend the guy. It's disappointing because, in the morning, with all the stuff going on in the media, I approached Sean and asked him if he was going to talk to media. He told me no. He talked to our (public-relations) people and he told them, no, he wasn't going to talk to the media.
"And to have a calculated response like that . . . it was a calculated statement for what I feel was personal gain."
The Stars could try to trade Avery, but it's doubtful any teams would be interested. The Stars would still have to pay Avery if they send him to the minors, but his contract wouldn't count against the salary cap. They could also buy him out just to get rid of a selfish player that has become too much of a distraction and nuisance.
sadowskir@RockyMountainNews.com