Sean Avery is about to become a Mad Man.
Officially, that is.
The one-time Rangers winger told The Post exclusively Tuesday that he will embark on his post-hockey career next month with an advertising agency that has a venture capital wing after first alluding to retirement Monday night on the online “After Show” of Bravo TV’s “Watch What Happens Live.”
“No, that wasn’t a joke, yes, I’m retiring at the end of the season, and it’s OK,” Avery, who will turn 32 next month, told The Post.
“I guess [Monday night] was my retirement press conference.”
Avery, who became the people’s choice while wearing the Blueshirt, is completing the four-year, $15.5 million contract he signed with Dallas in July of 2008 before rejoining the Rangers in March of 2009.
His return was far less of a success than his first Broadway tour that ran from February 2007 through the 2008 playoffs, the encore developing into three seasons of discord and disconnect with coach John Tortorella that culminated with this year’s exile to — and last week’s effective dismissal from — the AHL Whale.
Avery, who will begin his new job once his NHL contract officially expires on April 15, five days after he celebrates his 32nd birthday, told The Post he never contemplated continuing his hockey career next season either here or in Europe.
If the Rangers were to recall Avery for the playoffs, he would of course join the club and postpone his move to civilian life, but there is less chance of that than the Rangers re-enlisting 79-year-old Andy Bathgate.
“I couldn’t be happier about the situation,” said Avery, who chose not to name the company he has a commitment to join. “If I ever could have envisioned the perfect post-hockey career for myself, this would be it.”
Avery will complete his 580-game regular-season career with 90 goals, 157 assists, 247 points, 1,533 penalty minutes and one six-game suspension (that morphed into a three-month banishment) for introducing the phrase “sloppy seconds” into hockey lexicon.
No. 16 recorded 123 points (45 goals, 78 assists) and 601 penalty minutes in 264 regular-season games for the Blueshirts, including 15 this season from Nov. 5 through Dec. 10 in which he scored three goals
Avery recorded 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) with 69 penalty minutes in 28 playoff games, all with the Rangers, and was one of the club’s most valuable players in the 2007 first-round victory over the Thrashers and the 2008 first-round victory over the Devils, the only two playoff series the Blueshirts have won since 1997.
It was his stick-waving in front of Martin Brodeur’s face in Game 4 of the 2008 postseason Battle of the Hudson that led to the hastily (and unconstitutionally) adopted “Avery Rule” prohibiting such tactics.
Avery, who has had prior experience with advertising agencies and the fashion industry, is featured in a print ad for Hickey Freeman in this month’s Vanity Fair Magazine.
“Eleven years of relationships led me to this point,” he said. “It’s all I could ask for. And it’s the right time.”
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Martin Biron, originally scheduled to back-up Henrik Lundqvist Tuesday night against the Hurricanes, learned he would get the start at around 1:00 when informed over the phone by goaltending coach Benoit Allaire that The King was unavailable after coming down with the flu. He recorded the victory in the Rangers’ 4-2 win .
It was a reversal from the situation on Jan. 24, when Biron was a late scratch after taking ill before Lundqvist recorded a 3-0 shutout over the Jets.
“Hank came through for me in the Winnipeg game when I got sick, so I had to return the favor,” Biron said after his 27-save effort. “It worked out pretty good.”
Chad Johnson, who was recalled from the AHL Whale under emergency conditions to serve as back-up, returned to Connecticut following the match.
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Ryan Callahan (right foot) was sidelined for the second straight game and fifth in the last eight while Michael Del Zotto (hip or ribs) missed his third straight and fourth of the last seven. The Rangers are saying both players are “day-to-day.”
The Rangers were 0-for-3 in 4:52 overall on the power play, generating one shot while on the power play for the first 3:22 of the third that included an eight-second 5-on-3.
Brandon Dubinsky, who opened the game on a line with Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov, played a total of 10:10 (2:46 in the second, 3:07 in the third), when coach John Tortorella juggled his combinations
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Mats Zuccarello got 12:44 of ice time, including 8:44 at even-strength, playing at times with John Mitchell and Anisimov.
Stu Bicke l played a career-high 21:54 on defense, but Steve Eminger got only 9:23 including 2:07 on two shifts in the third and did not get on the ice the final 11:39.
The Rangers have been given today off before Friday night’s Garden match against the Penguins.