On Avery's Suspension...

One of last night's more anticipated games lost a lot of its luster when Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery was suspended for yesterday's game in Calgary vs. the Flames. Avery received an "indefinite" suspension from the league, and had a meeting in New York City with commissioner Gary Bettman today. At issue were the comments made by Avery in this video:

For those who can't access the video, Avery approached the NHL press corps, asked if the cameras were ready, and said:

"I'm 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, but enjoy the game tonight."

Avery was referring to his former relationship with "24" actress Elisha Cuthbert, who is currently dating none other than Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf. So what was this on the part of Avery? It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary for the NHL superpest, getting under the skin of his opponent and making waves in advance of a game.

So why did this warrant an indefinite suspension?

There was a huge outcry on the hockey message boards, with women screaming about how disrespectful it was their gender, and how any man who found what Avery said funny was a chauvanistic pig. Others appluaded the suspension, while still others were furious or confused why the league felt the need to take this step.

Put me in the latter category. This suspension screams "unnecessary". Yes, Avery's remarks were out of line. Yes, they were insulting, but also sounded like something many men would say if they encountered the man who is currently dating an ex-girlfriend.

In any case, the real issue here isn't that what he said is unnecessary, most seem to agree it was a stupid thing to say. The issue is how the NHL handled it. Avery has already missed one game, and by all accounts, isn't going to be back anytime soon. However, the NHL recently decided that Randy Jones only deserved a two game suspension for nearly ending the career of Patrice Bergeron. Tom Kostopoulos got 3 games for hitting Toronto's Mike Van Ryn in similar fashion. Darcy Tucker, who has as bad a reputation as Avery, didn't get suspended for supposedly going after the knees of Minnesota's Nick Schultz. This list goes on. Colin Campbell, who dishes out these suspensions, has become a laughingstock.

So why did Avery get so many games? Is the NHL simply tired of his act? It can't be argued that Avery is a pest, but it also can't be argued that he is an effective pest. He was lambasted, and even got a rule implemented immediately after the game, for his "antics" in front of Martin Brodeur last year, but the Rangers scored on that power play.

And like it or not, NHL, people like Avery are good for the game. Everyone needs a villain, and Avery has turned into hockey's version of Bill Laimbeer, a new Claude Lemieux. There were over 1,000 comments on ESPN's story about the suspension, probably one of the first times all season a hockey story has eclipsed that mark.

And for what? Comments that were in poor taste? Some are arguing that it's a good thing Avery got suspended, because Phaneuf would have destroyed him. So...had Avery played, he would have taken a Norris Trophy-candidate defenseman off of his game? Hmm...looks like Avery accomplished his goal again. Others said the NHL wanted to avoid an incident similar to that of Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore, that being one of premeditated violence resulting in criminal charges outside of the sport.

Does anyone REALLY think this is going to stop any on-ice payback Avery had coming? If anything, this is going to make it worse. The Flames visit the Stars in Dallas on February 3, 2009. What, so if Avery is even still on the team at that point, which isn't likely, Phaneuf is just going to say "Oh, he got suspended, I'll let it go." Not likely.

What WILL happen is that the interview in which Avery made the comments will be played over and over and over again in the days leading up to the game, letting the bad blood between Avery and the Flames simmer and simmer until it eventually boils over. The "payback" Avery has coming is going to come regardless. It would have been better for the NHL to let him man-up on the ice last night instead of prolonging the inevitable.

Bad move, NHL.

Catching Up on What's Gone Down

I haven't been able to write anything for a while due to work and other stuff going on, but fortunately, the B's haven't been as lazy as I have. The Black and Gold are now 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, accumulating points at a blistering pace that has propelled the club to second place in the Eastern Conference. On the season thus far, the Bruins are 11-3-4, and have 26 points. I said in my previous post that I expected them to finish November with 31 points, but at this juncture, that number would actually be a disappointment. The Bruins have been nearly unflappable during this young season, losing only one game by more than a single goal (a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Oct. 23, a game in which the Bruins blew an early 2-0 lead).

Their three regulation losses were as follows:

• at Minnesota, a 4-3 loss where they came from two goals down to nearly tie the game in the closing seconds of the third period.
• at Calgary, a 3-2 loss in a game at the tail end of a Western Canada swing that again saw the B's pressure at the end and come close to tying the game.
• vs. Toronto, in the aforementioned 4-2 loss.

The B's also have 4 shootout losses, games in which they got a point but, in a few cases, probably should have had more:

• at Montreal, a 4-3 loss in the shootout that saw the B's come back from three goals down early to tie the game in the final minutes.
• vs. Pittsburgh, a 2-1 loss that in the B's low-scoring home-opener.
• at Buffalo, a 3-2 shootout loss in a game in which the B's held two different two goal leads.
• at New York Rangers, another 3-2 shootout loss in which the B's had a late two goal lead.

The point of listing these games is to show that the Bruins have really not been "out" of any game they've played in this year. They've shown that they can come back (at Montreal, vs. Atlanta) and that they can start fast and hold down a lead (vs. Montreal, vs. Dallas, at Ottawa).

One troubling stat that can be seen above, especially in the shootout losses, is the team's trouble with two goal leads. Before losing to Toronto earlier in the year, the Bruins were nearly perfect under Claude Julien after having a two goal lead in the game. However, this year they have lost one game in regulation and two in a shootout after being up by two at some point. This is a bit troubling, but it's often said that a two-goal lead is the worst lead to have in a hockey game, as it often causes the players to sit back a little.

However, for every "troubling stat", there is also a positive one like this: As of last night, the Bruins have scored 55 goals and allowed 41, for a goal differential of 14. That is the second-highest in the league after San Jose, whose remarkable scoring of 73 goals has given them a differential of 24. The Bruins are also tied for second in the league in goals allowed with 41, the same number (surprisingly enough) as the Phoenix Coyotes. The Minnesota Wild lead the league with a jaw-dropping 30 goals allowed in 15 games, compared to the last-ranked Leafs, who have allowed 67 goals in 19 games.

Basically, it's been quite a year for the Bruins so far. They are playing as a group, playing for each other, and playing solid all-around hockey. The coming two weeks will feature a couple of great tests (vs. Buffalo, at Montreal and vs. Detroit) as well as some games that, on paper, the Bruins should take home (vs. Florida, vs. New York Islanders). However, there have already been some great games so far this season that I didn't talk much about, so here's a quick look back at the past couple weeks' best games.

• 11/1 vs. Dallas, 5-1 win. I picked up some decently-priced tickets for this game on Craigslist, and ended up being very glad I did. This was a game that, according to some writers and fans, may end up being "that game", the one each team has once a season that really brings the team together as a group. The Bruins played as "team" as a group can in this game, sticking up for each other while also sticking to the game plan, fighting back both on the scoreboard and with fists. Steve Ott was the villain in this game, going low on Stephane Yelle to start things off. After Shawn Thornton came to the defense of Yelle, Ott refused to fight, ensuring that things would continue to be chippy. After hitting Mark Stuart later in the game, Shane Hnidy attempted to fight Ott as well, who, again, declined dropping the gloves. Later in the game, Ott went low in Milan Lucic after a whistle, setting off another scrum. Ott's um..."antics" came to a fitting head when Andrew Ference laid him out at center ice with a solid, clean body check. Sean Avery then came to the defense of his teammate, and threw down with Ference. After these fisticuffs, Ott would be thrown out of the game for instigating more of the rough stuff. One would assume that this would be the end of it, but then... The video above features all of the fights in the game, the "but then..." I'm referring to is Avery's hit from behind on Lucic and the subsequent line brawl. Those don't come around all that often. In the end, the Bruins beat the Stars, beat up the Stars, and seemed to really piss off Mike Modano, who has apparently since cleared the air. Either way, the Stars are underachieving thus far this year, and with games like that it's easy to see why.
  
• 11/13 vs. Montreal, 6-1 win. I bought tickets to this one back in September, eager to see the B's exact some home ice revenge on le bleu, blanc et rouge. Boy did I get what I was looking for. This game wasn't even close. Though it was the Bruins who played a tough Chicago team the night before in a game that went to a shootout, and it was the Bruins who didn't get into Boston until after 3 a.m., it was Montreal who sleepwalked through this game, looking lost, uninspired, and downright overwhelmed at times. Here are some highlights from that game, I don't really need to say much more about it: Finally, that game featured the culmination of a years worth of post-whistle scrums, cross-checks, face washes, low hits, big hits and just overall rough stuff as Mike Komisarek finally decided to drop the gloves with Milan Lucic...and much like Ron Burgundy jumping into the Bear Pit, it's safe to say that Komisarek "immediately regretted this decision"! With this one game, it seemed like the Bruins not only had the Habs back on their heels, but had them running back to Quebec with their tails between their legs. One can only hope for the B's sake that this will represent a monkey off-the back sort of situation, as they've proved that they can beat the Habs, and beat them convincingly at that.

This was a bit of a long post, but there was a lot to catch up on. I'm going to try to blog a game live sometime soon, but not sure when. In closing, I'll leave you with what is sure to become an iconic image for this Bruins season, and one that I'm positive Mike Komisarek will NOT have hanging on his living room wall:






Go B's.