2008/09 NHL Thread

Referring to a woman as a sexual object for multiple male partners isn't disgraceful?

Look it up: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sloppy+seconds

Yeah, classy. A great role model for all members of the family.

And yet, the key in all of this is not what Avery said, but how he delivered the message. It wasn't in the heat of the moment, wasn't even on the ice, wasn't at a club (see: O'Neal, Shaquille), wasn't even speaking to a lone reporter. He gathered all the mics and cameras he could find, THEN delivered the bomb. He pretty much dared the league to suspend him, and they did. The NHL finally got fed up enough to take action on his heel tactics.

He's trying to find out how far he can cross the line without getting kicked out of the league, and he just may have found out with this one. Whether he pulls back will determine whether anyone above the ECHL has anything to do with him in the future.

 

For one I never touched the wholesome argument. What they are is they're human. And the human thing is to want some retribution. Especially in a game where the players are constantly asking for more room from the league to police themselves.

I wish I could believe that he would take the high road, but I have seen far too many times where it doesn't go that way, and considering how public this was with national media attention on both sides of the border, the league couldn't afford to take that chance. First and foremost they have to cover their ass.

 

Hey, guess what ... you and urbandictionary don't get to tell me whether I should be offended.

I'm not. Neither were four other women who chimed in on this thread.

On the scale of offensive things that have been or could have been said, this doesn't even register a blip.

 

I think the league should invoke the old "in the best intererst of the sport" clause and toss his ass out.

 

In other news, TSN is reporting Joe Sakic is out for another six weeks because of his back.

 

So ... do you guys read any discussion boards other than this one?

The guys on my softball board are laughing their asses off. Not just at what Avery said, but at the league's reaction.

And on the Flames' own discussion board? It's split.

Check this out:

This is simply astounding; I didn't even know you could get suspended for a comment as innocuous (all things being equal...) as that. If anyone but Avery says that, it's barely a blip. It's more of a '...um, why'd you go there??' but not a suspension.

Suspension??? I don't get it. The guy slams the NHL for poor marketing, and then they take him out of the game he drawn major promotion for. I'm going to watch the game anyway, but there's a heck of a lot more people who don't give a crap about the Flames or Stars that would have tuned in if Avery was playing. I really don't like the guy, but this kind of justifies what the man's been talking about.

 

I think the league should market the game and its players. Fighting is a byproduct of the game, but it's not something that the league should "market" as a separate entity. If Don Cherry wants to market it - as he has already been doing for years - then more power to him. I like Grapes.

For the record, I understand why the NHL suspended Avery, and why the Stars wanted to, because what he said was utterly classless. I'm entitled to that opinion, regardless of whether the females on this thread are of the same opinion.

But I really wish he hadn't been suspended, and I hope he's not banned. I wish he had played against Calgary and gotten what was coming to him. I hope he comes back and pays through the nose, literally. You see, I'm a firm believer that the best way to make someone pay for their transgressions is to let them pay on the ice. Old time hockey - like Eddie Shore.

 

This was a good one, too:

ok, is it just me or does gary b. wake up every morning and think to himself "i have this wonderful product on the ice, how would i go about shooting myself in the foot and making this game less interesting?" today he picked giving a suspension on a rather harmless comment. really....you have a sport that lets players bare knuckle fight, blood and all and you are worried about your public image over a sloppy seconds comment? no one was jacked to see a stars and flames match...there isn't anything to it, no story, no rivalry...yes flames can take over first in the division but thats something you can read about in the paper.

it would be really nice to see something other than G rated basketball marketing tactics coming out of the league head office. it seems that with every new year and every new rule change it is just more inflated scoring and a less interesting product. i can see why ratings are pathetic and hockey has gone from a top 5 sport to some kind of sideshow that no one gives a rats Gary Bettman about.

with that said, enjoy the game and go flames go

 

Is this just a case of age catching up to Sakic? It's disappointing he won't be on the ice.

 

And it doesn't matter whether people on the Flames boards are pro or con the incident, they are pissed that Avery didn't get to play last night, as he was the only reason they figured the game would be exciting.

 

And what if he ignores people's challenges on the ice, as he has in the past. Then what?

Do we get another Ace Bailey, Eddie?

 

They would not have been tuning in to see Phaneuf and Iginla take the high road, they would have been tuning in expecting a major incident on the level of Bertuzzi/Moore. They would have been wanting to see retribution, the anihilation of Avery. I'm sure the league would much rather be laughed at for suspending the guy (supposed to meet with the league tomorrow now) than to have to be fielding questions why they didn't do something to prevent this.