Sean Avery is at it again. He has mostly laid low since he publicly stated “I bleed Ranger blue, It would be very disappointing if I don’t get to come back and play here” then immediately took the first big offer thrown at him from the Dallas Stars in the first days of free agency. But this year he decided to get back in the spotlight in his special way by bashing the commissioner of the league for not advertising its games well enough while at the same time taking the opportunity to call Iginla boring. Wait, what? Seriously?

First off, Iginla plays for a Canadian hockey team. Hes more popular than any American based player will be. The NHL is bigger than just its American audience. Take a gander on how all 6 of this this years top 6 Eastern Conference All Stars are all Habs. So basically the Habs have enough fans to votebomb their starting lineup into the All Star game.

Secondly, the NHL has really turned a corner with its new advertising. Most of it is focusing on its new, exciting stars. Check out this new winter classic commercial for example. The NHL might actually get Americans to watch a hockey game that isn’t the playoffs. The league actually does decent advertising for once.

Finally, who is Sean Avery to say no one cares about Iginla? Avery is only known for his pest antics or his diving or maybe even his obnoxious goal celebrations. Iginla puts up the points every year and has no problems dropping the gloves. There is talk on hockeyfights.com of renaming the Gordie How Hat Trick (1goal – 1 fight – 1 assist) to the Iginla Hat Trick. He is a fan favorite all around.

I’m no Avery hater and that is rare coming from a Devils fan. I’ll be the first to admit Avery is one of the best pests in the NHL. Until this year he was an amazing bargain. Unlike most pests he has the hands and smarts to score goals. There is also no denying he pulls in some amazing tail but not all of it for free.

Lets not forget even in the off season he is a media whore. A huge media whore. He was quiet off the ice during last years playoffs but on the ice he ran Marty pretty consistently. I’m not going to say I believe Marty needed to fall as hard as he did on more than a few occasions, but the fact remains, Avery was in the crease entirely too much for sporting conduct. Then the shit that lead to the Avery rule culminating in the handshake debacle.  Avery immediately cut short his media blackout to call Marty a fatso and spin the classless act back on him. Anything for the spotlight.

So now, heading up to Canada to play the Flames after making the previously mentioned shit talk on their star, Avery decided to step it up a notch. He came out of the dressing room, asked if there were any cameras around, and stated “I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada, I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds.  I don’t know what that’s about.  Enjoy the game tonight.”

That is obviously a direct bash on Calgary’s other star, Dion Phaneuf who is nailing Sean’s ex Elisha Cuthbert. The NHL wasted no time suspending him indefinitely for that. I don’t see it as a bad thing. What gets me is you know Sean says shit like that on the ice all game long, then turtles up like a bitch when someone acts upon the NHL’s unwritten self enforcement rules. See fights keep the NHL honest, you can’t run players and talk endless shit without consequence, unless you are a on ice pest like Avery who will turtle in hopes of putting his team on the powerplay. So he may get away with it on the ice but after bashing the league that pays his bills it is no surprise they aren’t going to let him get away with it off the ice.

In the end, Avery is again making headlines as the NHL’s greatest pest. I have a feeling that is what he set out to do.