11/21/24
July 02, 2008
Dallas Stars Sign Sean Avery: The NHL's infamous agitator, fresh off a playoff stunt that inspired a new no-mimes rule, signed a four-year, $15.5 million deal shortly after the league's free agent signing period began.
Avery's that guy who you hate playing against, but would love to have on your team. And this is really hard for me to say (Blues Fan here), but who wouldn't want to play for the Red Wings? Hossa made a great choice. (Now I must go wash my hands and say 10 "Our Father's")
posted by BoKnows at 03:27 PM on July 02, 2008
Avery's that guy who you hate playing against, but would love to have on your team. Yup. Since the Stars are my team, I hatelove Avery's bush-league unsportsmanshipplucky determination.
posted by rcade at 03:38 PM on July 02, 2008
Yeah, but he's also known for wearing out his welcome. I hear his shelf life is only two years, so the Stars signed him for two years too many.
posted by MrFrisby at 04:09 PM on July 02, 2008
Wow. The Wings missed out on Rolston and Sundin wasn't a sure bet so their prospects of getting a top notch forward didn't look good. In no way did I expect them to nab Hossa. Awesome job by Ken Holland, simply an awesome job.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:15 PM on July 02, 2008
When asked to comment on the people who said back in 2005 that he wouldn't be an effective GM under a salary cap, Ken Holland said, "HA!" I love the Hossa signing. The Wings get a potentially great young scorer on the rise, and Hossa gets to play surrounded by talent that will make his game better. And since it's a one year contract, each side can see how they fit together, and worry about whether or not it'll be a long-term relationship later on... And as for Avery, I wasn't that happy with his jaw-flapping and his sophomoric antics when he was a Wing, so that old axiom isn't entirely true...
posted by MeatSaber at 04:55 PM on July 02, 2008
I think the biggest reason it is a one year contract is, among others, Zetterberg's and Franzen's contracts expire. The Wings will want to keep them on the team so they probably did not want to commit too much money to Hossa without signing those two first. Like MeatSaber said, they'll be able to see where they stand with Hossa at the end of the season.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:28 PM on July 02, 2008
Avery's that guy who you hate playing against, but would love to have on your team. I'd be turning in my Stars jersey today if I was a fan. He's an overrated jackass.
posted by wfrazerjr at 06:27 PM on July 02, 2008
I'd be turning in my Stars jersey today if I was a fan. He's an overrated jackass. Really? There are hated players all around the league and Sean Avery's the guy you'd turn your jersey in for. Now if it was Chris Simon, I'd be with you. But Avery's just a pest.
posted by BoKnows at 06:36 PM on July 02, 2008
I agree with fraze. I don't Avery (nor Bertuzzi) anywhere near the Hurricanes' locker room.
posted by NoMich at 06:59 PM on July 02, 2008
I'd be turning in my Stars jersey today if I was a fan. Easy to say when you are not really a Stars fan. But I do know of one that may be going to even more extremes. I'm also kind of shocked that this is the first thread of the Free Agency Frenzy. James Duthie quote: You’ve heard of spending like drunken sailors? How about spending like billionaire sailors on crack.
posted by MrFrisby at 08:57 PM on July 02, 2008
I don't mind Avery but I cannot stand Bertuzzi.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:57 PM on July 02, 2008
Easy to say when you are not really a Stars fan. Why? I don't think I have to be a Dallas fan to realize they just signed a class A douchenozzle.
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:57 PM on July 02, 2008
Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs give their fans The (Jeff) Finger.
posted by tommybiden at 12:30 AM on July 03, 2008
Holland explains himself here. [via] I'd take Avery on my team in a heartbeat. The guy is effective during the regular season against division rivals, and can win you a playoff series by distraction. He's worth every penny, even if you don't agree with his means.
posted by garfield at 11:15 AM on July 03, 2008
I am a Stars fan. Whether the signing pays off or not remains to be seen, as is the case with all free agent signings. Some players fit and others don't. But as far as Avery's on-ice antics, primarily getting on the nerves of the other team's players, I see no problem. Dallas already had at least one such player, Steve Ott. In the past, it has had others, Craig Ludwig and Pat Verbeek (The Little Ball of Hate) come to mind. Most teams seem to have at least one similar player. After all, it's not really a gentlemen's game. And as for his actions that led to the Avery Rule, I'm surprised nobody thought of it and tried it before. It certainly must not have been an illegal move, since they had to come up with a rule concerning it the next day.
posted by graymatters at 12:44 PM on July 03, 2008
I'd be turning in my Stars jersey today if I was a fan. He's an overrated jackass. What kind of fan would you be if you quit following a team because one player on a roster of around 25 is a douchenozzle? I've endured Deion Sanders, Terrel Owens and now Pacman Jones as a Cowboys fan; Milton Bradley and Kenny Rogers as a Rangers fan; and Dennis Rodman as a Mavericks fan. And Lenny Randle was one of my childhood idols at the time he cold-cocked manager Frank Lucchesi on the field during pregame warmups.
posted by rcade at 01:00 PM on July 03, 2008
I'm just happy that I can go back to hating the Stars again. When Belfour left, they became a bit less hateable, and that made me sad. They also had (for a brief time) Arnott playing there, one of my favorites. And the performance they put on this playoff season (although it ousted the Sharks) was a valiant one. I actually found myself not hating the Stars, which kind of screwed up my entire hockey Chi. But now they signed Avery, I freakin' hate them again, and all is right with the world.
posted by tahoemoj at 01:32 PM on July 03, 2008
Were is this economy pinch I keep hearing about in the NHL? The current CBA must be REALLY effective to allow teams to offer and spend nearly $4 million on an "agitator", regardless of his locker room presence. Isn't this the same league that was throwing around phrases like "Canadian teams being forced to fold" and "bankrupt franchises" just a few years ago? Not just Avery's and Hossa's contracts, but many others have been reported by ESPN in the last few days. I thought the Penguins were in such dire straights two years ago, they were auctioning off Lemieux artifacts, and now they spend over $90 million long term signing Fleury, Malkin and Orpik? I'm not saying any of these players aren't being paid 'current market value', I am just asking who in Pittsburgh crapped a money printing press. It really is no wonder so many players were willing to leave Stanley Cup contenders (and winners) to file for free agency. Just wait...the owners will screaming about contract spirals soon enough again
posted by knowsalittle at 02:04 PM on July 03, 2008
What kind of fan would you be if you quit following a team because one player on a roster of around 25 is a douchenozzle? I'd be the kind of fan who wouldn't be interested in seeing his team succeed with a jackass like Avery on the roster. I like winning, but I don't like it at that cost. As for the fellows you named, I don't see the parallel. While I may not like any of them (okay, I don't really dislike Owens), the only one I know as a foul-mouthed, cheapshotting jerk is Rodman, and it's difficult to overestimate how important he was to the Pistons and Bulls. What exactly is Avery going to bring that you couldn't find elsewhere without him being a huge tool at the same time? Oh, and I don't buy any of this bullshit either. Avery said something to Blake and not a fucking one of his Ranger teammates would come out and say he didn't. They just forced Berger and the station into a corner with the possible libel lawsuit, which, as far as I can tell, was never filed.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:05 PM on July 03, 2008
Isn't the 'douchenozzle' that part that actually gets up inside the good stuff? Is that really such a great cutdown in every aspect? I mean if I were Heide Klum's douchenozzle, it wouldn't be all that bad.....
posted by knowsalittle at 02:19 PM on July 03, 2008
What exactly is Avery going to bring that you couldn't find elsewhere without him being a huge tool at the same time? I don't know. But it does seem like teams are a lot tougher to play when Avery is on them, and the Stars were pretty close to the finals last year.
posted by rcade at 02:21 PM on July 03, 2008
His toughness hasn't really helped his teams thus far. What's the deepest playoff run that LA and the Rangers had with him in the lineup?
posted by NoMich at 03:06 PM on July 03, 2008
Holland explains himself here. [via] Ken Holland no longer has to explain himself, in my eyes. He gets a free pass for at least the next 5 years... I was one of the people saying that he wouldn't be as effective a GM with a money constraint, but he proves me wrong every year. The Wings are in a very enviable position right now...they're highly successful and the players that have been here for a while want to stick around, even taking far less in terms of money than they can get on the open market, just for a chance to win the Cup. And that attracts other like-minded players to the organization, players that would rather win than make gobs of money on a losing team. It's a great time to be a fan, if you ask me...I'll take this over the 70s and 80s any day...
posted by MeatSaber at 07:27 PM on July 03, 2008
Marian Hossa also signed a 1-year $7.45M contract with the Red Wings- reportedly turning down offers for multi-year contracts worth more money from other teams.