Game 4 Game Day Headlines

Avery, Avery, Avery. Enough already...

Steve Zipay at Newsday says the Rangers are trying to put the Avery situation behind them and focus on Game 4..."With grins and impersonations, the Rangers yesterday tried to put Sean Avery's latest escapade in the rearview mirror before what Jaromir Jagr described as the critical game in the first-round playoff matchup with the Devils tonight at Madison Square Garden."

Also at Newsday, Johnette Howard says Avery's act is just part of the hockey culture..."when did so many hockey people get such delicate sensibilities? This is the same league that already had a rule against hair pulling. This is the same sport that determines penalty minutes based on whether the offender did or didn't draw blood. In hockey, the only bad rabbit punch is the one that gets penalized. And what constitutes "unsportsmanlike conduct" has always been a fluid thing. Isn't the entire culture of hockey built on some not-so-subtle condoning of bending the rules?...It makes you wonder if the uproar about Avery since Sunday is really just about what he did? Or the fact that it was Avery who did it?

John Dellapina at The Daily News says the Rangers are laughing off the whole Avery incident..."Suffice to say, while the NHL had a very serious and official reaction Monday to Avery's samba act in face-guarding Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur during Sunday's Game 3, the Rangers mostly treated the incident as an amusing sideshow upon returning to practice Tuesday."

At The New York Post, Larry Brooks feels that the NHL's response to the Avery situation was too heavy-handed..."The demonizing of Avery in the wake of his creative shenanigans is completely out of line. What shrine, exactly, did he desecrate? What player's leg did he step on with his skate blade? What player did he send flying face-first into the boards on an icing touch-up?"

Lynn Zinser at The New York Times says that to the Rangers, these antics are just Avery being Avery...Opponents may hate him, but Avery’s teammates appreciate him. “All season long he’s been a huge player for us,” forward Martin Straka said. “Fans love him and they get us going when he’s playing well. He’s got everything. He’s got good speed, he can play the body, he can fight, he can score goals. The energy he’s playing with, he’s helping everybody.”