Man Crush of the Week #2 - Sean Avery

From my seat in Row A of Section 414 at Madison Square Garden, I can see almost everything that happens during the course of a Rangers game. Stationed centrally behind the net at the 8th Ave. end (where the Rangers attack in the 1st and 3rd periods), I get a full view of the ice, and most of the time I watch the puck and the play, like most people would.

But when a certain Ranger hits the ice, I’m transfixed on only him.

He’s unpredictable. He’s fast. He’s a good scorer, a deft passer. He’s a hitter and a fighter. He’s annoying as hell.

He’s Sean Avery.

When Avery became a Ranger on February 6th last season, I knew very little about him. Because Avery played in Los Angeles and the NHL has pretty much zero west-coast TV coverage, he was basically an unknown commodity. I think this was the case for a lot of people.

But since his arrival in New York, I have absolutely fallen in love with Sean Avery…in a totally non-sexual way, of course (come on, I’d have no shot anyway, this guy dated Elisha Cuthbert!), and so has most of New York.

Avery actually makes me laugh out loud when I watch the Rangers, partly because of the way he goes about getting under his opponent’s skin (yapping away from behind his infamous black mouth guard, throwing well-timed body checks, and of course face-washing players during post-whistle get-togethers), but mostly because he’s actually a terrific hockey player. It truly is a joy to watch the guy play the game. Most people can’t get past the agitation factor to recognize this, and that quite frankly is their loss.

Avery is the player that everyone – including even some Ranger fans – loves to hate. His language on the ice is crude, he’s brutally honest during interviews (“I guess fatso there forgot to shake my hand…”) and his goal celebrations are a bit over the top (though I think scoring a goal in the NHL would fire anyone up and I like the expression of emotion).

But I also think that the NHL’s resident bad boy fulfills the cliché, “Women want him and men want to be him.” After all, Avery isn’t just a hockey player…he’s a renaissance man. When he’s not at the rink, he claims he really doesn’t pay much attention to the hockey world and would rather talk about art than sports. His interests include high fashion and indie music. This summer, he’s interning at Vogue Magazine. Guy’s got a pretty cool life, no?

What I think a lot of people, especially over at NHL Headquarters on 6th Ave., are missing is that Avery has become one of the league’s most marketable stars. And in typical NHL fashion, Gary Bettman and Co. have shunned him. In a league that is struggling not only to garner more attention but also to promote its stars, Avery is a lightning rod for attention. He plays the part of the villain perfectly.

Now, many hockey pundits would tell me that the league is trying to clean up its image, that a “villain” is the last thing it needs. They’ll say the NHL is sick of the Todd Bertuzzi/Marty McSorely/Chris Simon moments that seem to happen yearly and give hockey an endless stream of bad press.

My argument is this: Sean Avery is not a goon. He doesn’t hit from behind. He doesn’t swing his stick at people’s heads. He doesn’t engage in slew-footing like Evgeni Malkin did in pathetic sore-loser fashion at the end of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Rather, Avery is a modern agitator with an old-school edge. And he’s a good interview because he’s articulate and will say a thing or two that catches everyone off-guard. He also has a personality off the ice.

I watched the Rangers playoffs with a few people who are not hardcore hockey fans like me and even they were interested in Sean Avery. Say what you will about his questionable screening tactics on Martin Brodeur…it made headlines, didn’t it? The national media was talking quite a bit about hockey the next day, weren’t they? I rest my case.

I’ll say this before I go. A lot of people have accused Avery of being selfish, especially when February rolled around and Avery met with the Rangers brass to discuss extending his contract, a one-year deal that expires on June 30th. SHOCKER: Avery asked for too much money. Go figure that…a pro athlete acting like, well, a pro athlete.

The thing is that Avery has proven his worth. The Rangers were 33-14-10 this past season when Avery played and 9-13-3 when he didn’t. And then came this gem from New York Post writer Larry Brooks, who scored an exclusive interview with Avery when he was released from the hospital earlier this week after beginning his recovery from a lacerated spleen.

Avery bleeds Ranger blue.

That’s good enough for me. But even if he leaves the Rangers, I will always have a soft-spot in my heart for Sean Avery, this week’s Sports Freakers Man Crush of the Week.

A Worthy Captain

It was a stunning moment. A brilliant moment. A moment that only a great captain playing world-class hockey could produce.

With his team's season hanging in the balance, the Rangers already facing the unenviable task of coming back from a 3 games to none deficit against the juggernaut that is the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jaromir Jagr made sure the Rangers season, and perhaps his NHL career, would not be killed off last night.

With about 7:20 remaining in the 2nd period of a 0-0 game, he took a pass from Brandon Dubinsky in full stride, streaking down his less-preferred left wing. Ranger fans have seen this before. Jagr would keep skating to the outside. He would continue into the corner, behind the net, and look to pass to a teammate, or perhaps attempt a wraparound shot. Right?

Not last night. Jagr, who has unfairly developed a reputation in some circles as a "soft" player who shies away from contact, made a quick toe-drag move and cut towards the middle. He fired a screaming wrist-shot through the legs of Marc-Andre Fleury, and as he did so, was absolutely leveled by Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, who had come across the ice to check Jagr. Certainly a clean hit, but Jagr was down and not moving and the raucous Garden crowd was buzzing nervously rather than belting out the bombastic "Heys!" of the Rangers Goal Song.

But when Jagr got back to his feet, the roar was deafening and the crowd began to chant his name. The chants continued on and off all night until the Rangers had won the game by a 3-0 score, Jagr assisting on the second goal and scoring the third into an empty net.

After nearly four seasons in which he has helped return the Rangers to contender status, Jaromir Jagr finally had his signature moment. That it came in a series the Rangers will probably eventually lose is inconsequential. Jagr played with pride for his team, his city, his fans.

Sam Weinman, a Rangers beat writer who furiously updates his blog Rangers Report wrote this piece about Jagr's tenure as a Ranger before last night's game. For those of you unfamiliar with the situation, Jagr did not meet the requirements to trigger a 1-year, $8.6 million option on his Rangers contract. If the Rangers do not re-sign Jagr, he will probably play his last NHL game this season. And with the Rangers down 3-1 in their series with Pittsburgh, last night could have been his final skate at Madison Square Garden.

He is not a perfect man. He is sometimes too emotional and too honest, like this past week when he admitted to "saving it" for the playoffs and not always going all-out during the regular season. The truth is that most players do this, especially at the age of 36, but many sports fans live in a fantasy world where their athletes aren't supposed to be affected by the limitations of the human body over the course of a grueling 6-month season.

Regardless of Jagr's shortcomings, however, he should be remembered in only a positive light by Ranger fans. In a nearly impossible situation, succeeding Mark Messier as Rangers captain, Jaromir Jagr has done so honorably. He has done everything from score goals - setting the Rangers single-season record of 54 two seasons ago, lest we forget - to help young Rangers such as Petr Prucha and Brandon Dubinsky develop both on and off the ice.

Last night's cheers were long overdue. Jaromir Jagr has been a great Ranger.

Cliff Notes: Wednesday April 30, 2008

While 90% of you were finding bugs on the new Grand Theft Auto game and 9% of you were watching American Idol, very little went on in the world of sports.

-I guess Shaq did a lot for the Suns, who got bounced from the playoffs. Let's face it, the Spurs never get talked about and they always stroll along. Maybe the Suns will finally realize that defense will get you somewhere. A little ironic that to get Shaq though, they traded their best defensive player (Shawn Marion).

-Chris Paul is sick. A triple double? What? Are you serious? And he led his team to the next round, taking out the Mavericks. Let's take the modern day PGs for a second(1990-now). In their prime, how would you rank them? Here's how I put them:

1) Steve Nash: He's Chris Paul except a better scorer and as clutch as you can be. Never won a championship though, but I would argue that his team's were vastly overrated)

2) Chris Paul: Funny thing is that he isn't even near his peak! But he's insane to watch, and his speed and scoring ability is unreal.

3) John Stockton: He was a better scorer than even I give him credit for. But I don't know, something about him just couldn't have me put him over Paul.

4) Gary Payton: He will shut you down. He had a very stellar all-around game.

5) Jason Kidd: I think he peaked about 4 times. When you thought he was down and out, he'd do something to wow you.

-Now do you believe the Sixers have a chance? That's the sound of the bangwagon crashing.

-Oh yea, and the Rockets decided to make it a series with a win against the Jazz.

-My fellow bloggers will probably be furiously posting about the Rangers loss last night. My only comment is this: I know everyone loves the goalie (Hendrik Lundqvist, doubtful I spelt it correctly), but after allowing 22 goals in 5 games, maybe its time to stop drinking the love juice for him. See you next year Rangers, cause your not coming back.

-Okay, so Yankee land has learned that Posada is out for a little less than what they thought and A-Rod is out a little longer than what they thought. Look, I never thought you should give an upper 30's catcher a four-year deal, but this is what your going to get. This was the first time Posada was on the DL, and this won't be the last. As for A-Rod, he's had the most mirage of a season.You look at his stats and go "Okay, he's been solid." But if you watch the games, you know otherwise. But he's still A-Rod, and he will still ht 40 HRs. Enjoy Morgan Ensberg!

-Damn you John Smoltz! I trade a good outfielder for a closer in my fantasy baseball league, and now you might come back form the disabled list as a closer. Damn you and making me draft you thinking that your a young 40! Sorry, had to rant.

-The "Why the hell is this pitcher still playing baseball yet doing well" award for today goes to Joel Piniero. You have no business with an ERA under 10.

-The "Why the hell is this pitcher still in the majors and getting saves" award goes to Eric Gagne, who somehow has 8 saves. Shave your stupid beard Gagne!

-What to watch for tonight: I'll give you two. Hawks visit the Celtics. If the Hawks win, I might buy a Mookie Blaylock jersey. And second, Dana Eveland and Ervin Santana square off in a "Loser will be dropped by everyone who was stupid enough to pick them up in fantasy baseball" matchup.