Sean Avery was suspended six games for a crude comment he made regarding the lovely Elisha Cuthbert, his ex-girlfriend who is dating Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf.
His coaches and teammates with the Dallas Stars don’t want him back.
“He’s always on the edge, certainly, on the ice, which no one really has an issue with,” forward Mike Modano told the AP. “But when it becomes public and it becomes off-ice situations, that’s when you have a problem with it.”
Avery already has served two of the six games and will eligible to return Dec. 16 against Phoenix.
“We needed to be clear that this was the type of conduct that we did not view was acceptable and not representative of what our players do,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Avery also agreed to be evaluated for anger management — a requirement for his return. The league cited his “pattern of unacceptable and anti-social behavior.”
“He looked me in the eye and said, ‘I need help,'” Stars general manager Brett Hull said from Dallas. “It was brought up by him.”
(The AP contributed)
