Time To Move Forward For Avery And The Rangers (UPDATED)

As you've probably heard by now, the Avery verdict has arrived: $1.9m for the season.  Now it's time for everyone to move on.  The Rangers roster is set (for now) and the focus can officially shift to getting ready for a serious run.  The business issues have been resolved, now it's about hockey.

The question of who was right and who was wrong in this little saga are no longer relevant.  The only thing that matters now is winning.  For the Rangers to have a real shot at winning, everyone has to give 110%.  There can be no room here for anger, resentment or hurt feelings on either side.  The team must be united, not polarized. 

It looks like the Rangers understand that: They immediately accepted the arbitrators award.  The immediacy of the team's acceptance speaks volumes.  By not delaying at all in accepting the award, the Rangers have essentially said "we know you're worth it, Sean.  We don't have to think about it or wonder, we know and we want you here".  But implications and inferences aren't enough.  Well, it looks like the Rangers understand that as well.  Which is why the team, through Glenn Sather, issued the following statement upon immediately accepting the award: "We are pleased to have Sean under contract and are looking forward to him returning with the same passion and enthusiasm he brought to our team last year," stated Sather. "He is a terrific competitor, who we expect to play a significant role in a successful season."  (Check out the entire release over here). 

Now it's Avery's turn.  It's time for him to prove that all the naysayers are wrong.  It's time for him to prove that the arbitrator was wrong.  Most importantly, it's time for him to prove that the Ranger's were wrong.  He's been called a detriment.  He's been called immature.  People around the hockey world have said that he's selfish and puts his own needs ahead of the team. 

What better way is there for Sean Avery to prove his worth than by moving forward in a mature and responsible manner.  He has two choices here: he can bear a grudge and harbor a resentment or he can accept the award put the past behind him and come out with a statement saying that he's happy to be back and he's looking forward to helping the Rangers, his teammates and the fans compete for a Stanley Cup.  The former would simply reinforce what his critics say: Sean Avery is a distraction and a detriment.  What would the latter approach accomplish?  Well, it would go a long way towards silencing his critics (myself included). 

The Rangers are trying to move forward.  It's time for Avery to do the same thing.

Check out a nice post on this topic from Stan Fischler over here.

UPDATE:  I was hoping to hear some positive quotes for Avery in this morning's (August 2, 2007) papers.  Unfortunately, that hasn't happened.  Avery's agent was, however, saying the right things.  As for Avery himself, he declined to comment to the New York Post.  You can check out Larry Brooks' article in the post here.  Hopefully, Avery just needs a little time.  Stay tuned!    
       

Comments

[The Dark Ranger]

Who ever would have thought Sean Avery would get so much attention? Sean Avery did -- and despite our feelings on how he went about all of this, he won & the fans won. Hopefully the team did as well.

It worries me how the rest of the locker room will react to this level of press, and thanks to Shanny (mentor to Avery) he will probably make a statement -- whether he means it or not. Though, Gomex & Drury have a lot of adjustment being with a new organization, team and a new Sean Avery...we know Jags puts up with the locker room talk, but the test of time is 82 games later and seeing how everyone feels. Avery has a history of pissing off his own teammates. Maybe Slats was right in expecting one-year only?

Crossing fingers. It's all beginning to feel more real!!

tdr

[MOSS]

As a Rangers fan from well before '94, I'm telling you that having Avery is an asset to the team, one that will likely pay dividends. Yes he disappeared in the second round, but then again, if you payed any attention to the first round you would notice that the entire Thrasher team was prioritizing punishing Avery rather than winning hockey games. He is our Darcy Tucker, the guy you hate as an opponent but love as a teammate. We need him to win. At least thats what I took from the Buffalo series.

[The Hockey Rabbi]

Moss:

agreed, provided he plays like he did theorugh round 1 of last seasons playoffs.

[thedirtyboy]

Here is Sean Avery's resume:

During the lockout, he was quoted as saying that the management of the NHLPA lied to its members about the lockout.

Denis Gauthier hit Roenick with a clean check in the 2005 preseason, this was Avery's response: "I think it was typical of most French guys in our league with a visor on, running around and playing tough and not back anything up."

That same year he dropped an N-bomb on Georges Laraque. Maybe I should start calling him Sean SL-Avery.

Later that same year he was called for diving and was subsequently fined for publicly blasting Colin Campbell.

In 2006 he got into a heated locker room argument with one of the announcers!!! Apparently, the announcer, Brian Hayward, called him out for refusing to fight Todd Fedoruk! I guess little Sean's ego gets hurt easily.

In 2006, the Kings suspended Avery, stating that he would not be with the team for the remainder of the year for refusing to participate in a practice drill.

Basically, you can spin it however you want but this guy's been a "detriment" everywhere he's been. The publicity surrounding his arbitration is not an isolated incident, nor will it be his last as a Ranger.

[The Hockey Rabbi]

thedirtyboy:

I hear you! That's why I keep saying Avery has a lot to prove. That's also why I don't fault Slats for being tough during the arbitration proceeding. I believe it's possible for Avery to get his act together but there's no question that he may not.

Side note: Avery is at his best when he's fired up. That means that he'll always run the risk over taking some bad penalties and over doing it. I have NO problem with that. Those risks are worth the reward. To me, the behavior that is unacceptable is the behavior that disrupts the team and the locker room. If he takes a bad penalty here and there (even if the team looses the occasional game because of it) I don't necessarily mind because I'm sure there will be a lot of games won because of his style of play (it's similar- in theroy- to skilled offensive players who control the puck a lot. These guys also have the most turnovers.) If he creates divisions in the locker room, that's a problem.

[Coach Outlet Coach Outlet]

Unlike the EU, ASEAN’s priorities have not been political integration or to generate internal political change within member states. In fact, ASEAN long kept a “hands off distance” from attempting to change the intensely varied internal political systems of member states although interest in promotion of human rights and democratic values amonasdfg some of its democratic members is now emerging as an organizational goal.