Avery IS back on the Rangers

[chippa13 1844]

If Ranger fans have given Isles fans "Potvin Sucks" for decades...How loud do you figure the "Avery Sucks" will be tonight on Long Island?

You're assuming any Islander fans show up.

[Chadd 916]

They have fans?

[xstartxtodayx 343]

I wasn't disappointed by Avery last night, he played his role pretty well... delivered a few hits, took some hits, had a couple chances, and ran his mouth endlessly. I think after a few games he'll get more of his timing back and maybe put a couple in the net as well as increase the # of hits given and taken, he definitely didn't look out of place last night.

[Too Old 1]

Hope he doesn't want these back now :lol:

[s4gobabygo 0]

avery finally dropped the mitts last night! it's about time. as a lifetime rangers fan, this was always one of my biggest problems with him. i feel that given his style of play, dropping 'em when necessary is an absolute requirement. he's certainly not a premier fighter, nor do i expect him to be, but i was ashamed to see him taunting every player on the ice, then backing down from every stand-off. maybe i can welcome him to the team now. he's certainly been pulling his weight on the scoreboard, and has been a huge catalyst for the team! i hope he keeps up the (clean) physical play! i wonder if torts or one of the other players said something to him about it? he seemed to be pretty willing to engage last night.

[furlanitalia 1]

While Avery may be an agitator, I agree it was nice to see him fight, and even pick up that two goal game a while back. His play has been superb as of late, and lets hope it stays this way (clean). He is a player everyone loves to hate, gets under your skin and throws you off your game. And he's damn good at it. It would be nice to see him have a nice long career, and not one plagued with trips to the minors.

[s4gobabygo 0]

i'd love to see avery building his hit count. he's shown that he's capable of making some big clean bodychecks, but too often i see him getting his hands up, or backing off and stick-checking. if he could learn a lesson from callahan about throwing the body cleanly and frequently, avery could be one of the most valuable players in the league on both sides of the puck.

[Chadd 916]

if he could learn a lesson from callahan about throwing the body cleanly and frequently, avery could be one of the most valuable players in the league on both sides of the puck.

Callahan is made for playing in this system

[fieldofdreams 0]

I concur. Callahan is exactly what this team needs. Been on the scoresheet quite a bit lately as well. Seems like Dubinsky should adopt a bit more of Callahan's game.

[s4gobabygo 0]

definitely. callahan has to be torts' favorite player at this point. his level of intensity is always the highest on the ice. good defense should start deep in the offensive zone.

[Chadd 916]

This game had to have the most disjointed first five minutes of any game I've seen in a long time.

[s4gobabygo 0]

definitely. what a mess. i also don't think i've been more disappointed yet this season. 1 point somehow feels like 0.

[NYR4NG3R5 0]

Sean vs. Marty tonight. Can't wait to see how this one goes.

[liroadrunners 0]

i wanna see avery score on him. that will be a good celebration.

[s4gobabygo 0]

i'm predicting a goaltender interferance call resulting from a devil pushing avery into the crease.

[NYR4NG3R5 0]

i'm predicting a goaltender interferance call resulting from a devil pushing avery into the crease.

Oh you know thats coming. Avery won't even have to touch him, just pushed somewhere near him... We know Marty will handle the rest.

[s4gobabygo 0]

so how about this avery-clarkson thing? i'm not going to claim that that was in any way a noble string of events on avery's part... he was certainly asking for it, but how can you call a penalty on him for that? i watched it several times, and i can't see anything he did deserving 2 minutes. this is a case of his reputation preceding him, and the refs officiating accordingly. i have to laugh about this stuff, because i genuinely don't think there's another player in the NHL who'd hate more to play against.

and what a hit on oduya!

it's about time the rangers showed up to a game again!

[mack 44]

I hate it because it sparked him for the rest of the game. I'll give him all the credit for not losing his shit during the game and that's all the Devils tried to do. He took the cupchecks from Brodeur in stride and then the whole Clarkson thing. Speaking of that, it was pretty damn ugly to see Clarkson just tossing him around trying to get him to do something. Pretty bush move and it'll be interesting to see if they end up being first round opponents.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Never thought I would see the day I would be happy to see the rags win, but by beating the devils last night, they took the last game in hand the devils had over the caps, so now the caps have hold of 2nd place in the east, and it's up to them to hold onto it, as they and the devils have the same number of games left.

That Avery/Clarkson thing, god forgive me, because I don't generally wish harm on anyone, but I was hoping the way Avery went into his dead body role, that he would at least bust his nose off the ice, or lose a couple of teeth, or something. God I hate that guy

[s4gobabygo 0]

there's no question that he's the most hateable player in the nhl. he is, however, helping the team a lot, and for the most part within the rules. god i'd be pissed if he weren't on "my" team! and i do secretly hope he one day gets his face busted up a little bit so i can hear Sam Rosen make a clever remark about his career in fashion coming to an end. i'd rather see it happen in a fair squared-off fight though (which it seems he might start participating in actually)

[furlanitalia 1]

How on earth did Avery sit for two on the clarkson debacle. The nhl is trying to crack down on fighting, and guy is playing his game and abiding by what he is told, and still is getting punished. Really can't stand guys fighting just for the sake of fighting, and like Avery's approach to backing off. Although I doubt I would've just stood around after the second throw down.

[pantherfan 0]

Ok, I'll admit it. Now he isn't being a media whore I'm starting to like Avery, if only for the way he's SO good at getting attention on the ice drawing penaltys/getting in faces etc.

[#96 0]

I dunno, I could see how he got 2 mins. Not necessarily for roughing though. I might have given him 2 for unsportsmanlike because he did drop his one glove. If you watch the video he's clearly flicking his wrist trying to goad Clarkson into dropping his, but in the process his falls off. It's that intentional goading that I could see a misconduct or something.

But I will say that if some guy pulls me face first into the ice like that, I'm not walking away the way Avery did. I don't care how much an entire league hates me. That's just not sportsmanlike or safe. The league is worried about accidents as a result of fighting and the brutality of the sport, and Clarkson does that???

Avery's in a tough spot though, but deservedly so. He's trying to play hockey but the first time he does something stupid, everyone is gonna say, "See, he's not fixed!" Last night for instance. You know if Avery had done something after the Clarkson thing, fight, shoot his mouth off...every anti-Avery critic would come out of the woodwork saying how he's just reverted to old Avery. I also think the refs are allowing people to take liberties with him. I saw him get clipped from behind solidly no less than 3 times agaist Pittsburgh, and none of them got called. Gill absolutely took him out with a cross-check to the upper back waaay after the whistle and away from the scrum in front of Fleury and there was no call.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Avery's in a tough spot though, but deservedly so. He's trying to play hockey but the first time he does something stupid, everyone is gonna say, "See, he's not fixed!" Last night for instance. You know if Avery had done something after the Clarkson thing, fight, shoot his mouth off...every anti-Avery critic would come out of the woodwork saying how he's just reverted to old Avery.

I don't think so.

First time he does something retarded like the stick waving or such, people will get on him. But if he had went with clarkson last night, people wouldn't have been on him.

If he sticks to hockey and people still go at him, then they are always going to be after him.

[NYR4NG3R5 0]

Avery's in a tough spot though, but deservedly so. He's trying to play hockey but the first time he does something stupid, everyone is gonna say, "See, he's not fixed!" Last night for instance. You know if Avery had done something after the Clarkson thing, fight, shoot his mouth off...every anti-Avery critic would come out of the woodwork saying how he's just reverted to old Avery.

I don't think so.

First time he does something retarded like the stick waving or such, people will get on him. But if he had went with clarkson last night, people wouldn't have been on him.

If he sticks to hockey and people still go at him, then they are always going to be after him.

Which clearly seems to be the case. I'm not trying to sound all homerish and what not, which if I am then I apologize, but it seems that whenever a penalty is taken against Avery it isn't called. Perhaps its just me but I've seen numerous instances where Avery either gets tripped, interfered with, etc. and the refs seem to turn their heads. But again, this maybe a biased view on account of the fact that I am a Ranger/Avery fan.