Bad Boy
Oh Gary, Gary Gary…
Gary Bettman has become so captivated by his power trip that he has, once again, appeared ridiculous in the way he has run this league.
This isn’t about whether the 6 game suspension to Sean Avery was warranted, because god knows I was getting sick of the bastard. This is about a league that is supposedly trying to crack down on dirty hits but is instead preoccupied with a players’ immature comments about an ex-girlfriend.
Yes, Bettman was within his rights to suspend a player due to ‘comments detrimental to the league’. The NHL suspends players for racial slurs. It would be simply hypocritical not to adhere to a similar code of conduct for blatant misogyny.
What I don’t get is the 6 games. Let me explain: does anyone remember this?
Yeah, Kyle McLaren absolutely killing Richard Zednik in a game against the Boston Bruins during the 2002 playoffs. The hit left Zednik with a fractured cheekbone, a broken nose and a concussion. It forced the Slovak winger to miss the remainder of the playoffs. McLaren, for his part in the elbowing/charging/intent to injure penalty, was banned for a massive total of 3 games.
Back to the present day, Bettman has stated that if the comments were made ON the ice, no suspension would have been handed down. Now, my National Hockey League experience stands at 0 games played, but I imagine there are worse things than what Avery said that are said on the ice. Bettman is showing that staying in-line and being politically correct is more important than the players’ safety.
This isn’t me defending Sean Avery, even though I think he’s a pretty decent hockey player, I just think his comments are being blown out of proportion.
The New York Rangers had an amazing record with Avery in the lineup, which is why they mostly kept quiet when it came to his antics, but they had had enough after what he did in the post-season.
The Dallas Stars are 27th in the league and are having an absolute nightmare of a season. The fact that he only has 3 goals in 23 games has certainly not helped his case.
Alas, the suspension is certainly deserved, but 6 games? Bettman doesn’t want players to give the league a bad name, especially to the growing number of children who tune in every night to catch the Crosbys, Malkins, Ovechkins and Latendresses (not really) in action. I thought any publicity was good publicity.
Hey Gary, explain to my 9 year old brother why Todd Bertuzzi is still playing in the league.
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