saw that interview.. He seemed really cool.

He was totally matter of fact. Didn't try to make excuses why he had gay friends. Just said "I have gay friends that I hang with" and basically said "if others think I'm gay, screw 'em"

I have new found respect for this bruiser of the NHL

What he said was crude and obnoxious but I don't see it as an issue the league should get involved in. I don't see "sloppy seconds" as an attack on women or a sexist slur.

His crude comment about Elisha Cuthbert, in and of itself, may not have been the worst thing Avery ever said, but it was the culmination of a long history of incidents, as shown in this timeline

His crude comment about Elisha Cuthbert, in and of itself, may not have been the worst thing Avery ever said, but it was the culmination of a long history of incidents, as shown in this timeline

Although the combative forward was eligible to return from a six-game suspension Sunday, the Stars instead announced Avery will not rejoin the team -- ever.

"All parties said there is a clear understanding that a return to the Stars is not in the best interest of either the hockey club or Avery," the team said in a news release.

Details of his departure still must be worked out. He could be traded, sent to the minors or bought out next summer. The club said it will work with Avery to try making this an amicable divorce.
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Avery lasted only 23 games in Dallas after being signed for $15.5 million and four years over the summer. The Stars could try voiding the contract by saying he violated a conduct clause, but aren't going to do that, in part because of the likely legal challenges that would ensue.

Since September, advocates for same-sex marriage in New York have released 30-second videos of celebrities endorsing their cause. More than 30 have taken part, including the actors Julianne Moore and Sam Waterston, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the former first daughter Barbara Bush. On Thursday, former President Bill Clinton released a written statement of support, too.

Until now, supporters have come mostly from the worlds of politics, entertainment, theater and fashion. One type of New York celebrity was conspicuously absent: the athlete.

Enter Rangers forward Sean Avery.

He recently recorded a video, becoming one of only a few active athletes in American team sports to voice support for gay rights, and is believed to be the first in New York to publicly advocate for same-sex marriage. No active male player in a major American team sport has declared his homosexuality, and homosexual slurs remain in use to insult opponents and officials.

Avery, a 31-year-old from Pickering, Ontario, has played nine seasons in the N.H.L. Known as a fashion-conscious, on-ice agitator, he has never been afraid of what others think of him.

“The places I’ve played and lived the longest have been in West Hollywood, Calif., when I played for the L.A. Kings, and when I moved to New York, I lived in Chelsea for the first four years,” Avery said in a phone interview. “I certainly have been surrounded by the gay community. And living in New York and when you live in L.A., you certainly have a lot of gay friends.”

Avery, who lives in the SoHo section of Manhattan and keeps a home in Los Angeles, said some of those friends had wanted to marry, and he saw no reason they should not.

“I’m certainly open to it,” he said. “Maybe I can help, and I jumped at this opportunity.”

If Mr. Avery is good at anything, of course, it is provoking a reaction, and one was forthcoming. Todd Reynolds, part of the father-son agency Uptown Hockey that represents about 10 NHL players, wrote on Twitter on Monday, “Very sad to read Sean Avery’s misguided support of same-gender ‘marriage.’ Legal or not, it will always be wrong.”
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One notoriously unwise member of the broadcast media threw his lot in with Todd Reynolds on Tuesday.

After a spate of tweets in support of a hockey agent’s anti-gay marriage stand, Rogers Sportsnet decided Wednesday to fire on-air host Damian Goddard.

Attempting to skip over the controversy, Sportsnet suggested in a release that their problems with Goddard did not start with his decision to share his political views online.

“Mr. Goddard was a freelance contractor and in recent weeks it had become clear that he is not the right fit for our organization,” the sports giant’s communications director, Dave Rashford, said in a short statement.

Goddard tweeted Tuesday in support of Burlington hockey agent Todd Reynolds. Reynolds made waves after he called out New York Ranger Sean Avery for making a PSA in support of gay marriage.

“I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage,” Goddard said in a tweet.

Anyone catch the Sean Avery interview on ESPN? I was at the gym and he popped up there discussing his time with the Rangers, his trade, what he does in the offseason, and if hes gay lol Avery if you dont know is a tough guy, part goon/fighter but he does does have skills and scored some important goals and is a fan favorite. Good looking ish dude.

Anyway they discussed all that, then he went on how he loves fashion. especially womens fashion, is you can do so much with it. The interview was in a womens store and he actually started picking out his favorite purses he liked and shoes. He then mentioned that over the summer he took an internship with Vogue.. and went to a lot of fashion shows. The interviewer asked him if in the NHL people think he is gay. He said hes because if yoru 30 and not married in the NHL thats what they will say.. ( Im sure the interest in womens fashion is part of that too lol) He said he wasnt gay,,, and he was known to date some hot women.. one being Elisha Cuthbert...but he said he doesnt care what people think.

It was a prettyu interesting interview... the guy is cute but can also throw down with the nest of them so all in all an interesting package. Hes those guys who if hes on your team you love em.. but otherwise you think he is a dick on the ice.

The funniest comment was when they interviewed a couple of his new teamates and one guy said that sean has introduced him to the fashion world and that " I even have a few new gay friends" lol

.....................

I am betting he comes out of the closet soon. He is gay

What was your initial reaction when you saw the Sean Avery video?
I was blown away. I really was so excited to see that one of the New York Rangers was actually standing up for a cause that no one's ever stood up for in professional sports, as far as I know. [Ed. Note: at least one other athlete has, in a different state.] And I just think it's so important, because all the Rangers are role models and to have one of them stand up and fight for something that is just such an important thing for civil rights, I think that it's a wonderful thing that he's doing.

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Hockey, to this point, has had Brian Burke and Sean Avery do what they've done, and last year, Brent Sopel rode with the Stanley Cup in Chicago's Pride Parade. Do you think that the culture is changing in hockey more than in other sports?
Yeah, definitely. I think you can see there's been a pattern. There is more visibility with involvement in the gay community. I haven't really seen much with the Yankees, or in baseball in general across the country. Same thing for football and for basketball. I think those four big sports, hockey is the one that seems to be more in touch with reaching out to the gay community, and kind of bringing things together, making things right. I was so impressed with the Stanley Cup being in the Pride Parade. That was a big, big, big deal.