Someone explain to me how being an arsehole is “good” for hockey?

He’s a good player, no question about it, and he’s very good at being a pest on the ice.

But allegedly calling Georges Laraque a “monkey”? Publicly bad-mouthing French Canadiens? Bullying rookies and prospects in training camp? Showboating? All these are “good” for hockey?

Notice I didn’t include the accusations of tauting Jason Blake about his leukemia, because even Blake said he never heard Avery say anything to him about it. I don’t believe Avery mocked Blake over that so I’m not holding that against him.

Anyway, part of that problem is the media, who find hockey players “boring”, and I believe there’s some envy there with the more “colourful” personalities in the other major league sports, hence the reason they’re amping up coverage of Avery. 

I always thought that the humility of NHL players was a strong suit about this game, in that they weren’t getting regularly featured in the news for drugs, fixing games, beating up women, being cruel to animals or shooting people, as we’ve seen in the other major league sports.

I’m not suggesting Avery’s placing the NHL on that much of a slippery slope, and I have no problem with outspoken and colourful players.

But Avery’s an arsehole, and those are the type of personalities the NHL doesn’t need.

Posted by Spector from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada on 11/20/07 at 07:33 AM ET

I think nice people are good for any organization, too, but apparently “donkey-butt” is now a synonym for “interesting” in everything: sports, entertainment, politics, etc.

I think it’s because it takes time to understand how interesting a person is by actually having a conversation, but understanding someone is a jerk can be communicated in bullet points.

Heaven forfend anyone feel as though they need to have more than a nanosecond attention span!

He’s a better player than some give him credit for, but I think it would be funny to see Avery struck with laryngitis for a month and a half.  He’d have to learn sign language if he wanted to insult anyone beyond elementary hand gestures. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/20/07 at 07:41 AM ET

Avery is one of those guys that you love if he’s on your team and hate if he’s not.  It’s as simple as that.

Posted by RemyM from Stamford, CT on 11/20/07 at 09:27 AM ET

Avery is one of those guys that you love if he’s on your team and hate if he’s not.  It’s as simple as that.

Well, I don’t know about that.  I like that he’s on my team, but I agree with everyone who says he’s an “arsehole.”  He’s occasionally funny in interviews, but most of the time he’s just arrogant. 

He’s interesting in the same way Brett Hull and Jeremy Roenick were interesting (off the ice):  unpredictability.  What would they say next?  But that’s so commonplace now (not in hockey, but in entertainment), that it’s boring.  I’d rather hear from at least a dozen other guys on the Rangers (just not Drury…nice guy, but I’ve never seen a more boring interview).  Still, there’s no denying the Rangers are a better team with him than without him, so fans will put up with his antics.

Posted by K24 from NYC on 11/20/07 at 04:05 PM ET