Photo: Getty Images
We have a hunch you didn’t know who Sean Avery was on February 4, 2007 — the day before he was traded by the Kings to the Rangers. Since then, of course, hockey’s premier agitator–fashion intern has become not just a fan favorite at the Garden, but a boldfaced name in the tabloids whose celebrity soared after leaving Los Angeles — which, by the way, isn’t exactly Edmonton in terms of market size. But despite this seemingly perfect symbiotic relationship between player and city, Avery’s time in New York is over, as the forward has signed a four-year contract with the Dallas Stars worth $15.5 million.
The Daily News reported this morning that Avery’s agent wouldn’t even return phone calls from Rangers general manager Glen Sather, who was offering four years for $12 million — perhaps a lingering result of last summer’s badly handled arbitration hearing, in which Sather referred to Avery as “a detriment to the team.” (It should probably be noted that, in the season following that comment, the Rangers were 33-14-10 with Avery in the lineup, and 9-13-3 when he was injured.) And while the Stars may be a good fit for Avery, we just don’t think Dallas is. (We hear the fashion shows there really leave something to be desired.) We expect Avery will miss New York just as much as New York misses him. —Joe DeLessio
Stars, Avery agree to terms of four-year contract [ESPN]
Related: The Cut’s coverage of Sean Avery’s legendary Vogue internship
