AVERY NO LONGER A STAR

The six-game suspension of Sean Avery is over, but the forward will not be returning to the Dallas Stars. In an interview, co-general manager, Brett Hull said, "Sean needs to focus on his own well-being while the Stars hockey team must focus on playing hockey and competing for a playoff spot."

Is it just me or does that sound like Avery is recovering from a serious injury or illness rather than just coming to terms with having been a bad boy? I can totally understand that the Stars don't want the controvertial player back in their line-up, but don't make it sound like you're doing this for his sake.

Until now I thought Avery was just a victim of his own mouth being to quick to unleash uglies for his own good, but now I'm not so sure. Could it actually be that he wasn't happy in Texas, and when he suddenly realized trading his flashy Manhattan life style for more money wasn't such a great idea after all, and that he needed to do something to get him the heck out of there.

Now you probably say, "but who could possibly think a little speech about your "sloppy seconds" would get you thrown out of the organization?" Well, either this little press conference of his was just part of a bigger plan, or Sean Avery is savvier than we give him credit for. Perhaps Avery knew this was just enough fuel for the Stars to cut him loose. Perhaps he also knew that the double standard of the NHL would surface and condemn him hard enough for all everyone to join in their choir, stating it's ok to say anything you want on the ice, close enough for all kids whose parents happened to score rink-side seats, as long as you don't say it on TV.

I would not be surprised if the New York Rangers, only because they know what he can bring when he is happy with his situation, will take him back. And if not the Rangers, than surely some other team will take a chance on the guy. Either way, I am sure all hockey fans will follow the Sean Avery show with anticipation for the same reason that both fans and non-fans followed the Howard Stern show, just to see what he'd do next.

And the most underrated are...

Since I took the trouble of naming three overrated (don't confuse overrated with bad, these are all good players or they at one point used to be) NHL skaters, I should perhaps do the same for the underrated ones. So here it goes.

Jason Smith (Philadelphia Flyers)
I cannot stress enough how much this guy means to the Philadelphia Flyers. The way he plays the game, with heart and determination, sets a standard for the whole team to follow. He is a true leader and all heart on the ice.

Sean Avery (New York Rangers)
I think it is plain to see to everyone how much better the New York Rangers are with Avery in the line-up. He gets the opponents off balance with his gritty in-your-face playing style and also puts up numbers on the scoring board. He is definitely hard to handle, I think most NHL teams will agree.

Matt Stajan (Toronto Maple Leafs)
He has gone from the forth-line to seeing close to 19 minutes a night for the Leafs. He's very tough to knock off the puck and he is only 23 years old. This guy will only get bigger and better.

And just outside of the top-3 are...

Mike Fisher (Ottawa Senators), Mikko Koivu (Minnesota Wild), and Michal Rozsival (New York Rangers).

Caps snap Senators streak

What better way to get out of a slump than to take on the best team in the league at their own court? That is what the Washington Capitals did at the Scotiabank Place yesterday. They proved to any doubters, and there must be a few by now, they are not as bad a team as their record might suggest. The fact is that the Caps have been playing some great hockey while putting up these losing numbers. Perhaps the 5-1 win over the seemingly unbeatable Ottawa Senators will give them enough spark to turn this thing around.

Man, are the New York Rangers a different team with Sean Avery back in the lineup. In yesterday's 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins he scored one goal and also fed Scott Gomez for his forth tally of the season. The Rangers have now won six of their last eight games. But even though they are 8-2 at home they are still without a single win on the road. The offense is looking better now than it did a few games back, but they will have to start racking up some wins away from home if they intend to make the playoffs.

Also, the Phoenix Coyotes are shaken things up down in the desert. After scoring six goals to beat the Ducks, they put up another five to dismiss the Dallas Stars for their first home win in seven games. Looks like Gretzky's bunch could could create more than a little trouble for the rest of the teams in the Pacific division. They are suddenly a .500 team and currently the only team in the division with a winning streak.