Sean Avery

Sean Christopher Avery (born April 10, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.

During his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), he played left wing for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, and Dallas Stars, gaining recognition for controversial and disrespectful behaviour both on and off the ice.

His agitating playing style led to multiple teams waiving him and to having a contract terminated.

Avery was signed by the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent in 1999.

He played one final season in the OHL before turning professional in 2000 with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Avery first played in the NHL during the 2001–02 season, playing 36 games with the Red Wings and 36 in the minors.

The Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup that season but Avery did not play in the playoffs nor did he play the required 41 games to get his name engraved on the Cup.

Midway through the 2002–03 season, Avery was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, along with defenseman Maxim Kuznetsov and two draft picks for Mathieu Schneider.

He finished the season with 15 points in 51 games.

He led the league in penalty minutes twice, during the 2003–04 and 2005–06 NHL seasons.

In 2003–04, Avery played 76 games for the Kings, scoring 9 goals to go along with 19 assists.

He also led the NHL in penalty minutes with 261.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Avery briefly played in the Finnish Elite League with the Lahti Pelicans, and in the United Hockey League for the Motor City Mechanics.

Along with 149 penalty minutes in just 16 games, he tallied 26 points for the Mechanics, including two hat tricks, making him the first player in Mechanics history to record two hat tricks in one season.

Several players spoke publicly of their dissatisfaction with the NHL Players' Association’s leadership during the lockout, including Avery, who publicly blamed NHLPA president Bob Goodenow for wasting an entire season with a battle that alienated fans and yielded few results.

Avery led the league in penalty minutes for the second consecutive season in 2005-06, with 257.

With three games remaining, the Kings unofficially suspended Avery for the remainder of the season after he refused to do a drill in practice.

Nevertheless, the team re-signed him to a one-year deal.

During his time with the Kings, Avery has been said to have mocked Dustin Brown about his lisp.

Former Kings' teammate Ian Laperrière said it "was bullying, like you might see in high school".

But according to other players and coaches, Brown's lisp was not Avery's target; Brown's then girlfriend, now wife, Nicole was.

Avery did not think Nicole was glamorous enough to be a "girlfriend of a hockey player in Hollywood."

On February 5, 2007, in the middle of the 2006–07 season, Avery was traded to the New York Rangers.

After joining the Rangers, he scored 20 points in 29 games to help the team complete a 17–4–6 end-of-season run to qualify for the playoffs.

On March 17, Avery recorded a single-game career-high four points (one goal and three assists) against the Boston Bruins in a 7–0 victory.

Avery played in his first career playoff game on April 12 against the Atlanta Thrashers, recording his first playoff points with a goal and an assist.

On August 1, 2007, Avery, as a restricted free agent, earned an arbitration award of $1.9 million for the 2007–08 season, which the Rangers accepted.

On February 16, 2008, in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, Avery scored 10 seconds into the game, setting a record for fastest goal scored by a Ranger on home ice.

Avery signed a four-year, $15.5 million contract with the Dallas Stars on July 2, 2008.

In December 2008, the NHL suspended Avery after he made controversial remarks about other players dating his ex-girlfriends.

After serving a six-game suspension and completing a counseling program, the Stars placed Avery on waivers on February 7, 2009.

After clearing waivers on February 9, 2009, Avery was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' AHL affiliate, although he remained a member of the Stars organization (that season, the Stars had no AHL affiliate).

After retiring in 2012, Avery focused full-time on working in the creative industry.

He has worked in fashion as an intern at Vogue magazine, as a model, as an actor, and as a restaurateur.

Avery's memoir, Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey, was published by Blue Rider Press in 2017.

He has hosted a weekly podcast, No Gruffs Given with Sean Avery since December 2019.

Avery was born in North York, Ontario, the son of Al and Marlene Avery, both teachers.

He grew up in Pickering, Ontario, where he attended Dunbarton High School.

He has a younger brother named Scott.

Prior to joining the NHL, Avery played for the Owen Sound Platers and the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).