egroen

No. He will play out this year in Dallas at the very least, simply because they are dieing for healthy forwards. They need him out of necessity. Chances are, he will keep his nose clean during that time and whether Dallas keeps for the remainder of his contract or not, another team will be willing to take a risk on him. I still can't believe Hull signed him for that much money. He sure is running out of rope though.

If you wish to keep you head in the clouds, do not click on the following link: http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=54475

I also can't stand the NHL at times because it puts me in a position to defend guys like Avery and Simon! Ah, speaking of Simon! Mike Grier supposedly was slinging insults about Simon being native american (his father is, his mother is canadian), and Simon called him a n!gger. I dont think any of it was ever substansiated, but Simon received a 3 game suspension, largely because he already had a "history" by that time. Make of it what you will, but it seems like both of them should have been suspended if it actually happened. I have continued beef with Simon's 30 day suspension for stomping and Pronger's 8 day suspension (ending conveniantly right before the playoffs started). Both players had been suspended the exact same amount of times.

It is unlikely Holland trades Filppula, but I honestly hope you are wrong -- because the way I see it, and I have been over the numbers many times, it is Filppula's contract that keeps us from signing Franzen.

Filthy fiftieth?

So it is comparable to Pronger's 8th violent suspension in which he stomped on a prone player with the blade of his skate. Awesome. Avery is lucky he did not also stick his tongue out at the camera or he would probably be out the whole season.

Totally off-topic, but I have always not liked the media being in locker rooms. If Avery flashed a camera man, would TSN air it and then write about how outraged they are? Anyways, ultimately I think he deserved a hefty fine from the NHL and whatever actions his team took against him. An indefinite suspension does not match the crime, IMO. If he had said "ex-girl friend" instead of "sloppy seconds" I am curious what the reaction would have been. Definitely a poor choice of words. What upsets me most is what I perceive as a continuous watering down of emotions from the NHL.

Wasn't it supposedly in response to Grier making fun of his indian heritage, and it was never confirmed that Simon even said it? Yeah, I think that was a dumb suspension, especially for 3 games.

I am now actually suprised those ads ever ran. They were clearly signaling each other's mothers out for personal abuse... at least Avery can argue he was not specifically talking about Dion Phaneuf or Elisha Cuthbert. Joking or not, how funny is it to rip on someone's mother, wife or significant other? Especially in public? I have a feeling Ryan Miller's poor mother deserved those attacks much less than Elisha Cuthbert or Rachel Hunter did.

I've actually thought of the "Yo Mama" NHL ad a couple times now. Two goaltenders verbally abusing each other's mother? On a paid ad by the NHL? What of the children???

"sloppy seconds" = bad "rivalry" = good Slap Avery with a serious fine, and he is going to think better about his word choice next time, but don't stare a gift horse in the mouth and not take advantage of a highly anticipated game that could start a rivalry. It does seem like Bettman's NHL is out to suck the life and character out of any one who does not "follow the script". Dino Ciccarelli expressed to the national media that he was disgusted by Claude Lemiuex, "I can't believe I friggen' shook that guy's hand." This isn't just about Avery's stupid comment at this point, I just miss the real rivalries, passion and off-the-cuff comments. I'm pissy because I was looking forward to that game, and it could have made for some exciting hockey.

I keep seeing references to an ESPN poll that had that exact same order, with the WWE ahead of the NHL, but my googling skills do not bring me to the source. The WWE has a lot of marketing pieces bragging they are more popular than many sports, including hockey, but I am not going to list that. http://blog.compete.com/2007/04/20/ufc-ult...ularity-growth/ Shows the UFC gaining on hockey in 2007, and it has nothing but grown exponentially even in the past year. Point is: I don't think it is the percetion that hockey is violent that is tuning out viewers.

You do not suspend someone because someone else might hurt him. Come on, that would be like suspending Holmstrom because he was pissing off Pronger. Crosby is getting it done - his jersey is the best selling in the league. But not everyone is attracted to a sport because of its squeeky-clean, humble stars. Hockey needs to learn from its past successes. If Avery's stupid comments are enough to spark a rivalry and some passion in regular season games between Calgary and Dallas - great! Slap Avery with a serious fine, but market the hell out of their games. Ovechkin is out to get Malkin and Semin is cutting down Crosby? Bruins and Canadiens can't stand each other? Market the hell out of it! I am defiinitely going to watch hockey games outside of my own team that involve intense rivalries and passion. That's how you grow your sport. The NHL owed the Wings and Avalanche a ton for that rivalry in the late 90s.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_professio...k_in_popularity I've also seen where the UFC is quickly catching up to the NHL.

I really do disagree. The WWE is more popular than hockey for christ's sake. A bunch of greased up goons in tights reading from scripts is more popular than hockey. The boxing match joke is just that: a joke. If people really thought that's what hockey was, they would be lining up to see it. Don't get me wrong, I don't want the sport to change to cater to this audience, but it certainly could be marketed a hell of a lot better. Exactly. I miss Hull's interviews. Avery should be fined for lewd comments, no doubt about it. But if that game started a rivalry and some passion between two traditionally good, Western Conference teams, that would have been great for the sport. Avery's comment was out of line, but he has never been suspended before and is more of a target of Bettman because he is a character and speaks his mind. I'm somewhat suprised Semin was not suspended for his comments on Crosby... because we all know Avery was already on double-secret probation for his comments on Iginla earlier in the year.

I gave the cliff notes version That is funny though, we made almost the exact same points. I consider myself a hockey purist, and I personally can not stand Avery. I also hate the shootouts, but I can admit they have been good for the game. It creates excitement, showcases individual talent, gets fans watching until the end and gets them off their feet. It is good for the NHL, and so is Avery.

Avery's a moron, we can agree there. But since when are sports fans not watching hockey because hockey players are perceived as a bunch of "boneheads who get paid to break bones"? I'll be honest, if that perception really existed hockey would be ten times as popular as it is today. The UFC is more popular than hockey and that is their number one selling point. Sports fans I know who do not get into hockey consider it boring, do not understand the rules and game and do not identify at all with any of the stars. Who is the NHL trying to attract? Sports fans, or church ladies?

You do know Avery was drafted by the Wings and played on the team, right? He might be a 10 now, but he was traded away by the Wings when he was a 3 and would not tone it down, so of course it would not fly with the Wings.

I smell a Masterson Trophy...

If Bettman really wanted Avery out of the NHL, all he has to do is get rid of the instigator penalty

Yes, but that was Pronger's 8th suspension so he had already served plenty of time. This is Avery's first so a message needs to be sent!

Though I wouldn't be suprised if Avery takes credit for "giving his team the motivation they needed". I like Avery spicing up the NHL a bit, but I am more than thrilled he is no longer on the Wings team. "Sloppy Seconds" does not equate to a suspension, let alone an "indefinite suspension", IMO. I do appreciate TSN running the interview, and then acting "outraged" over it and the owner stating "we would have suspended him anyways" after he was suspended

Thank God! I almost watched that game...

What a great analogy. I know that if I get in a fist fight with my coworkers my boss makes me sit in the bathroom for 5 minutes.

Am I a public figure? Take a moment and do a search of Elisha Cuthbert or even Dion Phaneuf, on any popular media, and you will find plenty of rotten things said about them, *gasp* even on this site!