Avery comments & suspension

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Oh, sorry, I forgot -- you're a meat head. Which explains why you're making the argument that frowning on comments like Avery's will definitely hurt the league, whereas taking no action against this sort of thing won't hurt the league "in any way whatsoever."

Hockey is, by and large, viewed by the general American public as a sport for talentless thugs. Avery's comment is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to come out of the mouth of a talentless thug. And you're talking about how the league needs to break from its own conventions by...patting Avery on the back? Good job, buddy.

P.S. Obviously I do, in fact, work for Bettman.

I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but most posters (not you because you seem to have some grudge against me) agree with my opinion that this is a B.S. suspension.

You seem to be in the minority in thinking that this is a bad thing for the league which needs to be cracked down on. Apparently in your opinion, making truthful comments which are public knowledge, make someone into a thug of some sorts which is going to be looked down upon by people who've never heard of either Sean Avery or the Dallas Stars. I don't see it that way.

[j.hoop 64]

I can't speak French, so those ads may sound confusing if I'm working on them.

Seriously, though, does the league want all it's players to wear boy scout outfits when they're being interviewed after a game? The fact that the media in a city like Dallas is crowding around a hockey player for any reason is a good thing.

All he did was made TRUTHFUL comments about his ex-girlfriends. This is not a comment that will make all Americans look down upon hockey players.

bettman does seem to be acting a little sensitive on this. i dont really care that he said it, being the truth and all, i just dont like the guy at all. this doesnt really stray far from that bengals dude wanting "ocho cinco", and people still love football.

[P. Marlowe 748]

Boring...

[SnipeShow 0]

Don't wash your dirty laundry in public... doesn't exactly fit this situation, but you guys know what I mean.

[lets go pavel 2]

True, yes. Tasteless, definitely. But I was shocked to come back to this thread and see he was suspended ... I thought he must have done something else. I can't imagine a game going by where worse things aren't said on the ice. I understand protecting the image of the game, but does Bettman really think fans are naive enough to think the players are saints, and would be offended by this if the league didn't swoop down and wash his mouth out with soap?

[vangvace 12]

I just think hockey has way more to worry about then flippin AVERY all the time. Suspend people taking illegal hits, or even divers at that.

I c wut u did thar

[Tr!PoD#19 524]

Fine him, don't suspend him. That's overboard..

I was looking forward to that game tonight too

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Fine him, don't suspend him. That's overboard..

I was looking forward to that game tonight too

Bettman doesn't want people looking forward to games unless Sidney Crosby is playing.

[ShanahanMan 473]

As messed up it was to say that....

come on, that was awesome.

[isbister 0]

Oh, sorry, I forgot -- you're a meat head. Which explains why you're making the argument that frowning on comments like Avery's will definitely hurt the league, whereas taking no action against this sort of thing won't hurt the league "in any way whatsoever."

Hockey is, by and large, viewed by the general American public as a sport for talentless thugs. Avery's comment is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to come out of the mouth of a talentless thug. And you're talking about how the league needs to break from its own conventions by...patting Avery on the back? Good job, buddy.

P.S. Obviously I do, in fact, work for Bettman.

Talentless thugs? Really? I have lived in Detroit, Florida and Dallas and have never heard of anyone accuse a professional Hockey player as talentless thug. The leagues with thugs are more and likely recognized as NBA and NFL. Lets see guys like Pacman, Irvin and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys are thugs. Most people who I know who don't follow hockey say its because they are unfamiliar with it. People who didn't grow up with an NHL team to watch and or didn't have ice to play on. Do people view hockey as a rough sport? Of course, but thats not a bad thing. Thats a really dumb comment to make guy. However, be honest with yourself. If you had a friend and explained to him the comment Avery had made before the game don't you think it would gain his interest to see what happens? From what alot of people have already expressed, I think everyone had to gain interest. Face it, Avery made a stupid comment and is a pest but the NHL made a worse comment saying he's suspended.

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

The NHL is pretty stupid. I was going to go out of my way to watch this game... not now.

HAHAAHAAAAAHAHAHHAHA worst move by the league ever

are they ******* retarded??? this game was going to draw so much interest

this just proves Avery's point about NHL marketing..... he's taken it upon himself to become the villain in a good vs. evil rivalry, but the NHL will have nothing to do with it

terrible

ridiculous

i'd rather teabag a rusty old blender than watch this game now

The NHL is a joke, how the f*** can this be a suspension? I think it is atrocious that he got suspended for what he said and I don't even like the guy..... but as soon as I saw this thread I looked for the game on TV IMMEDIATELY!

By the way, the term sloppy seconds is not demeaning if you understand the term. I guess it's all context.

[egroen 384]

Talentless thugs? Really? I have lived in Detroit, Florida and Dallas and have never heard of anyone accuse a professional Hockey player as talentless thug. The leagues with thugs are more and likely recognized as NBA and NFL. Lets see guys like Pacman, Irvin and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys are thugs. Most people who I know who don't follow hockey say its because they are unfamiliar with it. People who didn't grow up with an NHL team to watch and or didn't have ice to play on. Do people view hockey as a rough sport? Of course, but thats not a bad thing. Thats a really dumb comment to make guy. However, be honest with yourself. If you had a friend and explained to him the comment Avery had made before the game don't you think it would gain his interest to see what happens? From what alot of people have already expressed, I think everyone had to gain interest. Face it, Avery made a stupid comment and is a pest but the NHL made a worse comment saying he's suspended.

Completely agree. Most people I talk to that do not like hockey consider it boring, hard to follow and just do understand the rules or players' last names.

Perhaps there are some soccer moms out there who consider hockey players "talentless thugs" but I don't think that should be the NHL's target market anyways.

I do not live for fights and I am not pounding on the walls demanding the Red Wings ice multiple enforcers, but I would have watched this game. God forbid something happens to inject some excitement into a game that would normally be watched only by the two teams' fans actually playing. Fine Avery for being classless, but this would have been one of the most watched games all year and the NHL really blew it.

Edited December 3, 2008 by egroen

[Statts 4]

As messed up it was to say that....

come on, that was awesome.

Agreed

Although, I could see a fine considering he just said it out of the blue, but suspending a player for a nonviolent incident is idiotic.

[CloudConnected 0]

The NHL is a joke, how the f*** can this be a suspension? I think it is atrocious that he got suspended for what he said and I don't even like the guy..... but as soon as I saw this thread I looked for the game on TV IMMEDIATELY!

By the way, the term sloppy seconds is not demeaning if you understand the term. I guess it's all context.

Umm....Isn't sloppy seconds when a guy gets with a chick after another guy has already nailed her? So he's saying a part of her anatomy is sloppy? I think that's a little demeaning...no?

But really, I mean I love sports, and this suspension wouldn't have happened in any other league. It would have been a highly talked about game on ESPN and added a little bit of drama into the hockey game. ESPN would have eaten it up, and it would have gotten the talking heads paying attention to our league a little bit. I like hockey the way it is, but exposure never hurts.

Edited December 3, 2008 by CloudConnected

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

If the NHL ever wants the recognition that the other leagues get, than this is a mistake.

I would have loved to see these 2 players fight each other and for this story to possibly make it big on the sports networks. Now the only network that will talk about this game is the NHL network.

Bettman consistently does things to make the league as bad as possible both for fans and for non-fans.

So the two times a year you'd see the NHL on national news would be when Avery talks about sloppy seconds, and then when someone gets brained on the ice.

Those aren't exactly great strategies for attracting more fans. A lot of people already think hockey is just some weird sport where Canadians beat the crap out of each other.

[isbister 0]

So the two times a year you'd see the NHL on national news would be when Avery talks about sloppy seconds, and then when someone gets brained on the ice.

Those aren't exactly great strategies for attracting more fans. A lot of people already think hockey is just some weird sport where Canadians beat the crap out of each other.

Yeah cause the NFL is going to lose all there viewers since Plax shot himself, Pacman shot up a strip club and Nate Newton got pulled over with enough weed to kill a small horse. Lets see, shouldn't the MLB viewers quit watching since Manny pissed in left field or the fact that alot of them were called out for doing roids? The fact is, like it or not no publicity could be a bad thing for the NHL right now. It would interest people and draw attraction to the game.

[henrik40 76]

I like the suspension. There's no need for avery to actually hunt out the media and say something as derogatory as this. His comment doesn't even pertain to hockey and it shows a lot about his character. An elbow to the head can be interpreted by many casual fans as part of the game but referring to an ex as sloppy seconds won't be. This guy is entirely classless and sounds a little bitter about his breakup maybe?

[datsyukonethree 0]

I like the suspension. There's no need for avery to actually hunt out the media and say something as derogatory as this. His comment doesn't even pertain to hockey and it shows a lot about his character. An elbow to the head can be interpreted by many casual fans as part of the game but referring to an ex as sloppy seconds won't be. This guy is entirely classless and sounds a little bitter about his breakup maybe?

Whatever he does in the confines of the game (Brodeur incident), I'm fine with. This is not part of the game, it's a classless personal attack, and totally out of line.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Yeah cause the NFL is going to lose all there viewers since Plax shot himself, Pacman shot up a strip club and Nate Newton got pulled over with enough weed to kill a small horse. Lets see, shouldn't the MLB viewers quit watching since Manny pissed in left field or the fact that alot of them were called out for doing roids? The fact is, like it or not no publicity could be a bad thing for the NHL right now. It would interest people and draw attraction to the game.

That's a commonly heard statement that's just not true. The Bertuzzi incident was great for the sport, no?

Most people watch those massively popular sports in spite of those incidents, not because of them.

The NHL is already largely viewed as a fringe sport. I guess I don't see how Avery referring to sloppy seconds translates into more viewers.

And as for the suspension, I'm guessing it had a lot to do with the person in question. If some other player with no previous incidents had spouted off, it probably would've just been a fine or even handled by the team.

Edited December 3, 2008 by haroldsnepsts

[egroen 384]

That's a commonly heard statement that's just not true. The Bertuzzi incident was great for the sport, no?

Most people watch those massively popular sports in spite of those incidents, not because of them.

The NHL is already largely viewed as a fringe sport. I guess I don't see how Avery referring to sloppy seconds translates into more viewers.

And as for the suspension, I'm guessing it had a lot to do with the person in question. If some other player with no previous incidents had spouted off, it probably would've just been a fine or even handled by the team.

The Bertuzzi incident was a freak accident, but an exciting rivalry was budding there.

Was March 26, 1997 good for the sport?

Go to any NHL forum and take a look at all the "I was going to watch that game" posts. Yes, "sloppy seconds" would have reeled them in... I think that is obvious

[The Mule 0]

I think a suspension, regardless of how long, is a bit overboard. We all know Avery's a drama queen, but the NHL needs to pull their heads out of their asses and realize he's a marketable (albeit arrogant) player that the media thrives upon, and isn't more league-related coverage exactly what Bettman is crooning for?

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

The Bertuzzi incident was a freak accident, but an exciting rivalry was budding there.

Was March 26, 1997 good for the sport?

Probably. That also happened on the ice and created a great rivalry.

Go to any NHL forum and take a look at all the "I was going to watch that game" posts. Yes, "sloppy seconds" would have reeled them in... I think that is obvious

Ok, so I go to an NHL forum and a bunch of people who are already hockey fans say they were going to watch the game. That proves what exactly? People who already love the sport were going to watch a specific game? That's still not luring new fans.

IT's one thing to yap on the ice. I'm guessing the NHL just doesn't want Avery's agitating to go through the press. He asked if there was a camera present before he said anything. It's not like someone happened to catch an offhanded comment.

Edited December 3, 2008 by haroldsnepsts

[isbister 0]

That's a commonly heard statement that's just not true. The Bertuzzi incident was great for the sport, no?

Most people watch those massively popular sports in spite of those incidents, not because of them.

The NHL is already largely viewed as a fringe sport. I guess I don't see how Avery referring to sloppy seconds translates into more viewers.

I'm not saying that it makes the sport look good. I'm not saying it's going to make everyone all of the sudden love hockey. I am saying it would have drawn viewers to that game though. I personally had no interest in that game untill I had saw that comment. " thats a commonly heard statement thats just not true? Thats a bunch of bs!!! I know loads of people that watched the 1rst game Bert played against the Avs after his suspension. Is he a good guy for the hit? Not at all, but people watched that particular game because of all that was possibly going to take place. I hate hate hate basketball!!! I would rather watch grass grow than a BBall game, but when the Shaq and Kobe fued took place I watched every minute of the game a few years ago. Guess what? The NBA and its negative publicity got an extra viewer that day. There was way worse said between those two.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I'm not saying that it makes the sport look good. I'm not saying it's going to make everyone all of the sudden love hockey. I am saying it would have drawn viewers to that game though. I personally had no interest in that game untill I had saw that comment. " thats a commonly heard statement thats just not true? Thats a bunch of bs!!! I know loads of people that watched the 1rst game Bert played against the Avs after his suspension. Is he a good guy for the hit? Not at all, but people watched that particular game because of all that was possibly going to take place. I hate hate hate basketball!!! I would rather watch grass grow than a BBall game, but when the Shaq and Kobe fued took place I watched every minute of the game a few years ago. Guess what? The NBA and its negative publicity got an extra viewer that day. There was way worse said between those two.

The statement is usually to the effect of "there's no such thing as bad publicity." That's not true. Of course there's bad publicity.

I'm sure a lot of people watched Bert's first game back. Were they new fans to the game? probably not. But I bet a lot of people who don't watch hockey got to see Bert chase Moore down and suckerpunch him when they showed the clip on the evening news, including Moore being carted off the ice. That's bad publicity.

The one thing it seems we can agree on is hatred of watching basketball. Though I'd be curious to know what Shaq and Kobe said that was more off color than one of them calling the other ones girlfriend sloppy seconds. I remember a lot of yapping about each other, but that's different. A lot of places carrying the Avery story won't even print the phrase he used.

Edited December 3, 2008 by haroldsnepsts

[egroen 384]

Ok, so I go to an NHL forum and a bunch of people who are already hockey fans say they were going to watch the game. That proves what exactly? People who already love the sport were going to watch a specific game? That's still not luring new fans.

If you have ever been in marketing or even taken a marketing class, you would know the first people you need to market towards in order to grow your business are your existing customers.

I typically only watch the Red Wings, but if I know the Bruins are playing the Canadiens or the Penguins are playing the Capitals or the Flyers, I'm going to try and catch it because I know those will be exciting games. Football games attract tons of viewers that are fans of other teams.