In basketball, when a player inbounds the ball, there is usually a guy up in his face jumping up and down waving his arms trying to get a tip or a steal. What's the diff?

Once again, this massive overreaction would be almost comical if it wasn't so sad. If you want to talk bush league, I would argue that your's and your brother's call for "What's coming to Sean Avery" is infinitely more bush league and has the potential to result in far more serious circumstances than a few hurt egos. (see: Steve Moore)

Sportsmanship - he was wrong - he does get under everyones skin with his creativity at times. What he did with Tucker & Blake was WRONG.
Comes to play the game & very intense, something a lot of teams don't have.
Love to see him in a Leaf's jersey - I'm sure you would too!!

Al, there's a big difference there between that act in basketball vs. that act in front of a hockey goaltender.

It's embarrassing, that's why the reaction was so strong and swift. I hope Shanny had a nice long man to man chat about sportsmanship.

And I don't want him in a Leafs jersey.

I wonder if a guy like that would have saved my job?????

The Motorcycle forum I post to has a name for guys like that "F***tard"
I think that sums the guy up in one word for me.
Don't like him never have never will. I don't like any of these so called pests.
Not the hockey i want to watch.

I'm sorry Mike, I don't see a distinction. I saw Kyper on Sportsnet try to show the "proper" way to screen a goalie which involved sticking your ass in his face and moving when he moves. Why does facing the goalie make it worse or more despicable? Why can't I put my hand in his face like a BBall player does to screen a shot. As long as I'm not touching the goalie, there shouldn't be a problem. The whole stick waving thing looked bad, but in reality, he never came close to touching him. I think a lot of people are reacting because of who the player was. I wonder if it were Tucker (who is know to get under players' skins) if there would be a similar outcry.

Al, can you admit that there is a code of conduct that is among players and that often is not eluded to in any NHL rules or regulations?

Can you admit that Avery broke that code?

Now, if this was someone else, the reaction would be somewhat different, although not as much as you'd think - in my opinion.

But it makes it worse because this guy looks for ways to cheapen this game I love so much.

We've lost NHL due to war.
We've lost NHL due to strikes.
We will not lose NHL to chumps like Avery who replace talent with irritability.

Claude Lemieux got under people's skin without these antics and was as effective.

Makes me realize I may have jumped the gun when I belived I would never dislike a player as much as Darius Kasparaitis.

To clarify, when I say I want Jersey to "go after him", I want them to do it within the rules. But if that chance comes for an open ice hit, I say someone sends a message.. and unlike Avery, I say someone does it with some class... Just like Scott Stevens was classy.. ha ha.

I can admit that there is a code that changes daily according to what the overly sensitive puckheads feel on any given day.

I can also admit that at times creativity is stifled because of this moving target called the player's code.

If you read my blog entry, I bring up the case of a very young Crosby who decided to score a goal from behind a net by picking up the puck with his stick and stuffing it lacrosse-style into the net.

He was crucified by the overly-sensitive puckheads who stated that he was breaking some kind of code by showboating.

Then you have the breakaway challenge during this year's All-star game that was a collosal failure because the only guy who showed any creativity was Ovechkin.

Coincidentally the most exciting player in the league today isn't Crosby, it's Ovechkin and he's putting American asses in the seats in Washington, something that seemed impossible only a few years ago.

It seems to me, the fans LIKE creativity. A little individuality that this stupid code seems to go against.

Claude Lemieux was so much dirtier than Avery. His actions put players in the hospital! Avery's action was just embarrassing. It would figure that puckheads like you rank taunting as being worse than physical assault. It's a typical puckhead state of mind governed by this so-called code.

Once again, I don't like Avery any more than anyone here, but I can put my feelings for him aside and see that what he did wasn't THAT atrocious. It was just stupid, but it didn't warrant such drastic measures as a mid-playoff rule change. THAT makes the NHL look like a bush league waaay more than Avery's actions IMO.

So Avery's actions should have been ignored?

And when he does it again in Game 7 and Brodeur doesn't see the game winner go by, the NHL will look like what??

I think it's fair to disagree on this one.. I do see your point, but what you call creativity, I call an idea that any moron could have come up with but didn't implement because they have an ounce of respect for our game.

I guess that we finally have someone dumb enough to cause the NHL to have to step up and address a silly issue that never should have happened.

Avery is Bush League and NHL did something to ensure that these antics don't spread to other players who are coming into the league.

In my opinion that mid-playoff rule change was the anti-bush league move.

Look, I said it on my site, get rid of the instigator rule so a devils defenseman can ram the jackass in the mush and he will never do that or anyother stupid shit again.

And to add to that, where were Broduer's teammates who should have been killing Avery anyway......Instead they leave their alltime goalie to fend for himself against Avery....

What everyone is missing is that 30-40 seconds after his antics HE scored a goal. I guess his disruption worked. Where were NJ players when this was happening?
Brian Burke - try & get for the Leafs in 2008-09. A headcase yes but also a smart CREATIVE player.

i saw part of this sunday night while out and only have seen the whole clip just now. i think it's bullshit. i do notice something cool though. chris drury seems to try to get him to stop. at :24 into the clip and again at 2:15, a closer view. seems even drury knows it is wrong. and maybe avery and drury don't see eye to eye, as avery skates past drury after scoring without accepting drury's congrats. and yes, NJ should have had a stick across avery's back during this.

It's shameful and has no place in hockey. Anyway, the NHL has now come out with a rule against that chimpanzee's antics.

This will bemy final word on this;

Ryan, I have no problem agreeing to disagree. If the rule (which I don't agree with) wasn't changed and similar antics led to a series-winning goal, I'd have absolutely no problem with it. But now that will never be allowed to happen. Whether you agree with it or not, it is now a rule. I only wish the NHL could show this sort of decisiveness on REAL issues, not something so trivial as this.

Buffalo Mike, I believe that when this was happening, the Devils were shorthanded so perhaps they didn't have someone who could have cleared Avery from in front of the net.

Chris, I agree with you, the tactic DID work and that's probably what's scared the NHL into doing what they did. Plus, it made poor Brodeur look bad. I've heard more than one "analyst" state that Brodeur is too much of a vet to allow antics like that to bother him. Well it didn't look like it to me. Brodeur tried to give Avery a couple of shots to get him out of the way and then as you said, seconds later he allowed a goal.

One thing is certain, if the Rangers win the series, we can look back at this as one of the key moments. If the Devils win, we can look back at this as one of the key moments that insight Brodeur to raise the level of his game. Either way Avery has left his mark all over this series. Sometimes it's good to have a villian and Avery has said as much in the past, he doesn't mind playing the role. He does it quite well.