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by Missy_K
The players, coaches, fans of a sports team are involved because they have a passion for the game; they want to be there. With passion comes the desire to speak out, to find a voice, to make some noise. If you're a fan, you want to be a part of the game as much as you can; that's the point of cheering, booing, rattling the glass, and heckling the guy in the box. Sometimes it goes too far and you end up in the box, but generally fans keep it in the seats - this isn't the NBA, after all (and I'm only saying that because of Larry Brown's unfair comparison of what happened in the Pistons/Pacers game last season to a hockey game). I digress.
As a player, the rules are a bit different. When you are a professional athlete, you must maintain decorum. If you're a hockey player, you wear a suit going to and leaving the arena; you speak of your fellow players with respect and are humble when lauded by the media. During the playoffs, where more emotion is involved, you tend to speak out a bit. Sometimes barbs are exchanged, but generally, unless you're Claude Lemieux, it's nothing more than benign trash-talking: "Blah blah, jock was in the rafters," "Blah blah, Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears."
Then there's Sean Avery. (It's lucky he and Jeremy Roenick are playing on the same team; to hear these two face off against one another in a war of words... yikes.)
By the NHL's standards, Avery has gone too far with his recent words in the press. He was irate over being fined $1,000 for diving, after he received a warning letter indicating if caught again, there would be repercussions. (Once = a warning, twice = $1,000 fine, thrice = $2,000 fine, and after the fourth time, you'll sit out a game.) He directed some comments at Colin Campbell. Avery claimed his fine had nothing to do with diving, and implied the league was out to get him. The NHL responded by levying yet another $1,000 fine for his choice of words. Campbell issued a statement, emphasizing how important it is for the league to put a quality game on ice, and that Avery's behaviour has disrespected the game, the league, and Avery's peers and colleagues.
That being said, it's unfortunate, the way the NHL tends to jump on players/coaches for speaking their minds. Excluding Avery, no one goes to the extreme that often, and when called on it, people have handled it diplomatically. You don't want to bite the hand that feeds you, however with the lockout this past year, players, coaches, etc. have been frustrated and rightly so. Avery's fines weren't huge, but they send a message. He could have looked at his initial warning letter as constructive criticism, and adjusted his game. He could have put some more thought into the words he chose when he discussed the matter in the press. There are also allegations he directed a racial slur toward Georges Laraque, which really doesn't help his case.
Sometimes it's frustrating, hearing patent answers rehashed by noncommittal captains and rookies (though even the notoriously quiet ones are speaking up nowadays). You want to hear more thoughts and opinions from the guys on the ice. You want not just to agree that they "let their best players be their best players" - you'll be hearing that from Barry Melrose come playoffs, regardless. It's important for players such as Sean Avery to find a balance between shrewd and snarky, and run with it. But don't complain about the injustice done unto you when you're playing a game for a living and getting paid well for your time. To quote Bill Murray in Quick Change, "Button it up, pal. Nobody likes a whiner!"
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