Rock Bottom
Zero goals.
Fifteen shots.
Against the godforsaken Tampa Bay Lightning.
If Michel Therrien isn’t peeling paint off the walls right now, consider this season over now.
That’ll Snap You Out of a Funk
Yeah, the Islanders were scuffling along heading into last night’s game. But with the Penguins playing their second game on back-to-back nights, and Sid suffering from an uncharacteristic case of the yips, my expectations weren’t that high.
Certainly not “first career hat tricks for Sykora and Dupuis” high. Not “3 5-on-3 power plays” high. Not even “New York dresses 20 traffic cones in Islanders sweaters” high. I would have settled for Curry holding his own and a 3-2 trapfest.
Instead, I’ll take a 9-2 laugher into Philthy. Much better.
Taking a Break
I have no desire to be a part of the circular firing squad the hockey blogosphere has formed around Sean Avery and Gary Bettman, and I can only repeat myself so many times.
The real definition of “detrimental to the League or game of hockey”
Would you like to understand why Sean Avery’s “sloppy seconds” performance art was worth an indefinite suspension? There are plenty of factors within the media’s reaction. (The false dichotomy with Colin Campbell’s Wheel O’ Suspensions is a popular one. So is the Pac-Man Jones factor.)
The fact that there’s something for the media to react to in the first place is the real reason Avery’s statement is suspension-worthy.
If there was no such thing as bad publicity, the Jim Cohens of the sports world wouldn’t have to work so hard to manufacture it for the NHL. So when the real thing comes along (for example, a mouthy winger who crosses the line by making misogynistic statements about an opposing player’s girlfriend), it’s like giving the Hockey Haters Club a freebie. All of the spleen-venting, none of the prep work.
The moment Avery opened his mouth, he put Gary Bettman in a no-win situation. You’ve seen the reaction to his suspension. Now imagine how much damage control Bettman would have to do if Avery had played last night, and Dion Phaneuf and friends turned the game into a bloodbath. Stars owner Tom Hicks has publicly stated that the team would have suspended him anyway, so that would have been avoided regardless of the League’s actions.
In the end, I’ll take Bettman’s side on this one. Avery’s behavior was repulsive and dishonorable. For as violent as this game can be at times, it still sets a higher bar for off-ice conduct than other sports leagues, and Sean Avery fell far below that bar yesterday.
The Legend Of Vincent Tremblay 