Turns out after the Rangers loss on Sunday was only half of the news. The Canadian media has had a field day with Sean Avery's face-to-face shield dance with NJ goaltender Marty Brodeur, and Devils coach Sutter didn't like it one bit. So much that he personally called NHL Commissioner Bettman to complain about it. And guess what? The League actually created a new rule (from now on) to prohibit such behavior. You can imagine how relieved goaltenders across the world must now feel?
The Avery Rule Principle.
As long as Sean Avery continues to score goals throughout the playoffs (3 goals in 3 games), I don't give a damn at how he embarrasses himself. He is a good hockey player and an exceptional theatrical magician. If players were to avoid him, he wouldn't be effective.
Let them play hockey, Bettman, even if it's at the street level. You are more radical than Avery by bowing to the Canadian press and changing the Leagues laws, and your Utopian self-righteous 'vanilla and honey' hockey league will not hold the fans in the long run. What's next? Ban fighting?
Let 'em play Bettman...let 'em play!!!
TDR
1) As we wrote here previusly, we're not Avery fans BUT hate it when the league knee-jerks rule changes.
ReplyDelete2) There is a way to alter rules if need be. There is a competition committee(Marty is on that right?), then the GM’s/owners approve their suggestions, etc.
3) If what Avery did was a penalty then BOTH refs decided it wasn’t at the time it was done. Seems this was done only because of the negative reaction among non-Ranger fans and the media.
4) Its also the second time that we can recall that Brodeur influenced an intra-season rules change. The first when the visor rule(Ovechkin) was amended because Marty didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t see the eyes of shooters.
Can the NHL make a rule that the Toronto Maple Leafs get a free pass to the playoffs?
ReplyDeleteNuff Said
BlueNationLeafs
Can the NHL hire some referees please? Sean Avery's "antics" do not blemish the NHL's integrity. Everyone knows that Sean Avery is over the top and everyone takes what he does with a grain of salt. Somewhat similarly to Dennis Rodman in the NBA.
ReplyDeleteThe atrocious officiating, on the other hand, absolutely erodes the integrity of the game. The Devils' 3rd goal in game 4 should have never occured. The play should have been blown dead when Parise clearly and intentionally interfered with Lundqvist by knocking Lundqvist's stick out of his hands. Instead, the Devils are allowed to tie a pivotal game relatively late in regulation. This non-call could have easily changed the out come of the game AND the series. That's just unacceptable.