Sean Avery Takes a Seat

Once, Sean Avery’s agitating style of hockey sparked the Rangers. But the Grate One has not been the same force under John Tortorella and one game after limiting Avery’s ice time in the third period, the coach made him a regular-season healthy scratch for the first time in his two tenures with the Rangers. "We’ve asked him for a while now for more engagement and, honestly, we just haven’t seen it," said Tortorella, adding he meant "all facets" of Avery’s game. Avery said in response, "It’s not my decision, I just hope the guys come out and play hard. I know what’s been asked of me. Whenever I get my next opportunity, that’s certainly the thing I’m going to have to do." Avery declined to say which part of his game or whether he felt he was "engaged." "I don’t know, you have to talk to him about that," said Avery, who has eight goals and 17 assists in 62 games this season as Tortorella has spent the season juggling lines. "I’ll figure out exactly what that is and instill it in my game."

I don't know what's wrong with the guy. I will say it's hard being an asshole 24/7 so maybe that's a reason why he's lost a bit of his edge. We can't all be cute and cuddly Justin Bieber. You think I enjoy telling people to fuck off? I have a heart beneath all the coal and ice but at the same time I have a persona to keep. I just feel bad for him. They say he's a good hockey player so when he tries to just play the game, his coach and teammates want him to turn it up a notch. So he gets under people's skin and draws a penalty and all of a sudden he's playing out of control. It's a very thin line he has to play on.