It should have been no surprise that Sean Avery had the courage of his convictions to endorse legalization of same-sex marriage in New York in the video he recorded for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality.
“No one who knows me was the least bit surprised,” Avery said during a phone conversation on Friday. “My friends, the people who I spend time with, I’m honest with them. They know what’s up.
“They know my beliefs.”
It’s been an interesting week for Avery, who has received near universal public support, much of it accompanied by the predictable qualifier somewhere along the lines of, “I can’t believe I agree with Sean Avery on anything, but. . . .”
“The focus shouldn’t be on me, it should be on the issue of equal rights, but I kind of think it’s funny that people feel the need to say that,” Avery said. “But in the end it really doesn’t matter.
“I’m certainly not looking for praise from the hockey world.”
Though neither the Garden nor the Rangers have issued public statements regarding Avery’s participation in the campaign that is being conducted under the auspices of the Human Rights Campaign, both organizations gave him permission to appear in photographs wearing the team uniform within the video.
As well, Avery said he’s gratified to have received notes of support from Garden chairman Jim Dolan and president of MSG Sports Scott O’Neil as well as a phone call from Rangers president and GM Glen Sather.
“I had talked with Marriage Equality about doing this maybe a month or so earlier, but I got a little gun-shy with crunch time coming,” Avery said. “I didn’t want any backlash coming at me when it might have been a distraction for the team, but once the season ended, we got right on it.
“Certainly nobody at the Garden or with the Rangers tried to discourage me.”
Avery said he received an email that he described as “warm” from Toronto GM Brian Burke, who has been a visible gay-rights activist since his son, Brendan, came out while student manager of the Miami RedHawks in December 2009, just two months before he died at the age of 21 in an automobile accident.
“It’s about seeing individuals for who are they and treating everyone with the same respect,” Avery said. “I would just hope that more and more people would come to realize that.”
Avery laughed, though, while pointing out the dramatically different reception he is receiving for appearing in this video as opposed to the impromptu one in which he appeared in the visiting locker room in Calgary on Dec. 2, 2008 — which prompted his six-game suspension, trip to anger management and three-month exile from the league.
“It’s funny,” he said. “Last time I said something that got this much attention, they sent me away.”
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If Charles Wang can get the public to go along with taking the risk of footing at least a large portion of the bill for a new Nassau Coliseum, then good for the Islanders and good for their fans (and very good for their owner), for winning the Aug. 1 vote on a $400 million bond issue is fundamentally the last, best and only hope for saving the franchise.
There apparently is no suggestion that Wang — who has lost a considerable amount of money on the club, but presumably would recoup much if not all of it through revenues generated by a new arena, franchise sale or relocation — spend any more of his own in order to keep the team at home.
In Glendale, Ariz., meanwhile, more good money is tossed in after bad, $25 million more for another lame-duck season in which the Coyotes will not be permitted to go anywhere near the cap in order to augment their foundation, thus consigning the team and its fan base to another year on the treadmill waiting for rescue.
If the proposition goes down, the Islanders essentially will be facing four lame-duck seasons at the Coliseum, unless a prospective buyer emerges who is willing to pony up $350-400M to construct a new arena, a most unlikely proposition.
If the proposition goes down, it will become extremely difficult to get young Islanders such as John Tavares to commit to a long-term deal without a clue as to the team’s long-term destination, let alone to attract free agents. That was the issue that became the impassible obstacle two years ago for the Thrashers — the NHL’s unwashed orphans, all but filling up the moving vans with GPSs set to Winnipeg — in their $100M attempt to keep Ilya Kovalchuk.
If the proposition goes down, there would be no reason for fans to invest in a franchise whose maturation date would arrive in a different location. As such, it likely would be in everyone’s best interests to negotiate a buyout of the remainder of the lease . . . providing, of course, there’s a city prepared to take the Islanders.
We are coming upon the moment of truth for the Islanders, who have survived losses throughout their history in October through May, but will not be able to survive one this August.
We are coming upon the moment of truth for those who will cast their ballot and who should understand there will be a price to be paid for keeping the Islanders, just as there will be a price to be paid for losing the Islanders.
No one should have any illusions.
No iconic baseball stadium, no romantic venue, no sell of a storyline other than playing the game outdoors, it will be the Rangers-Flyers at the Phillies’ ballpark on Jan. 2 because Comcast/NBC owns the TV rights for 10 more years and Comcast/NBC owns the Flyers.
The event, which is expected to be preceded by the HBO “24/7” treatment, will present only another challenge/distraction for the Rangers, who: 1, will spend approximately the final two weeks of training camp in Europe, where they will play a handful of exhibition games before opening the NHL season with a pair in Stockholm against the Kings and Ducks; 2, then play another six to eight games on the road, including what is believed a trip to western Canada, before the partially transformed Garden reopens for business in late October or early November; and, 3, will have the hype of the outdoor game with which to contend.
Someone should tell Coach Tortorella.