Sean Avery has said, and done, a lot of idiotic, immature things over the years with Tuesday's comments in Calgary being no exception, but getting suspended for referring to his ex-girlfriends as sloppy seconds, are you kidding me? Since when did the NHL discipline players for gossiping?
Avery was being typical Avery. A pest. He purposely waited for all the television crews to make his comment all to get under the skin of Dion Phaneuf. Has it worked? Yeah, probably, but we'll never know because Avery will be watching from above as his teammates try and contain an angry Flames crew.
The NHL says they suspended him for "inappropriate public comments, not pertaining to the game." Essentially the league has suspended him because of a fight that "could" have happened with him and Phaneuf. Could have? How many times have players or teammates vowed to get revenge for a hit that happened in other games and yet those players don't get suspended but only fined. So why are Avery's comments that much worse?
Clearly I have never played a game in the NHL, but what is said on the ice has to be a thousand times worse and dirtier than what Avery said. At least his asinine statement was airable on television. How many fights start because they're instigated by comments about someone's wife or mother, or golf game? Is that taunting worthy of a suspension as well? Instead of monitoring hits are we going to start listening to players conversation as well?
Normally I think Avery takes it one step too far, but in this case it's the league that has crossed the line.