Caveat emptor. I'm sure Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks was aware of the phrase prior to his signing of Sean Avery this past summer, and if he wasn't, he most certainly is now.
Avery, the NHL's super-pest, never seemed to fit in the Stars locker room after signing a four-year, $15.5 million deal, clashing with veterans and failing to produce much of anything on the ice in his brief, 23-game tenure in Dallas. Then came December 2, 2008, when the Stars visited Dion Phaneuf and the Calgary Flames.
As you already know, Avery assembled the media and made his now infamous comments about NHL players dating his ex-girlfriends. The NHL did not handle the situation all that well, foolishly suspending him six games (more than hits to the head, biting opposing players, and making contact with officials). Once the suspension ended, the Stars essentially banished him from the team, and ultimately placed him on re-entry waivers in early March, allowing Avery to make his return to the New York Rangers.
What's the fallout from Avery's disastrous tenure in Dallas? Hicks has vowed to do a psychological review on any potential free agent signing in the future. From Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News:
The club will do a psychological review of any free agent it wants to sign based on its experience with Sean Avery, who signed a four-year, $15.5 million contract but was dismissed when he made controversial comments after playing only 23 games. "We will never make a free agent signing without doing psychological testing ever again as long as I'm the owner," Hicks said.
With all due respect to Hicks and the Stars, it shouldn't have taken a psychological review to realize that Avery, on the ice, is absolutely, off-the-wall, insane. Just ask Martin Brodeur.
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Avery recorded just 10 points in his 23 games with Dallas, while he already has eight in his first 10 games with the Rangers. The Stars are now 24-21-4 without Avery, while they went 9-11-4 with him in the lineup.
Among the other pieces of information in Durrett's article: the future of head coach Dave Tippett will be in the hands of co-general managers Brett Hull and Les Jackson, while Hicks is not sure if he will continue the general manager by committee approach next season.
Dallas Stars to Do Psychological Reviews Before Potential Signings originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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