THE CANADIAN PRESS
Some quotes from around the NHL on Rangers forward Sean Avery’s unorthodox screening attempt on Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur during Sunday’s NHL playoff game:
“I’ve known this kid since he was about 16 years old. Once a jerk, always a jerk. You can’t blame the referee, because … he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Could you believe what you were seeing? I’ve never seen anything like that and I’ve been in every league that’s ever existed.” — CBC commentator Don Cherry on The Fan 590, a Toronto all-sports radio station.
“I think he wants to win. Sometimes he looks like an idiot and it may look bad, but it’s probably effective. The kid is a competitor. He has a difficult job, but he’s just trying to win night in and night out and that’s what is the most important thing.” — San Jose Sharks veteran Jeremy Roenick.
“Yeah maybe in atom or pee-wee, but not at the professional level, no.” — Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price on whether he had ever seen it before.
“If there is a guy on my team doing it, I wouldn’t approve. I mean, screen (the goaltender) as much as you can, but just being in a goalies face is not part of the game.” — Calgary Flames forward Alex Tanguay.
“If I was in front of the net I would want to know where the puck is at all times and if there’s a shot coming I would want to deflect it. He wasn’t a threat to deflect the puck, but he was just trying to aggravate and distract the goalie … Even his teammate went over and said something to him. No one’s ever going to know what (Chris) Drury went over and said to him, but I’m sure it was something like, What the hell are you doing?’ — Canadiens defenceman Mike Komisarek.
“It’s a little bit over the line. You can impede a goaltenders’ vision in a lot of different ways without taunting. It’s better for the game if you don’t have that.” — Flames coach Mike Keenan.
“It looked kind of stupid. I don’t think it’s going to happen again.” — Flames goaltender Miika Kiprusoff.
