The nutty schedule over the last four days made me space on finding video from Dallas Stars winger Sean Avery's appearance on "The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos" in which he talked trash about Don Cherry and dished on a myriad of other topics.
"I'm really not an [A-hole] all the time" should be listed under name, position and team on every Avery hockey card, going forward.
It's not every day that we're pointed over to something called Gay Sports Blog, but they posted the Avery video and noted the "gay rumors swirling around" him. Which is astounding, because we had pretty much figured out that one primary angle in Avery's fashion obsession was to surround himself with sexy babes. And, as Avery himself said in the interview about reporters asking him about sexual preference, "Open up a magazine and see my track record. I don't think I'm that gay."
Outside of the usual questions and the occasional Avery braggadocio -- "deleting" the Habs from the NHL was a particularly devious moment -- there was a rather candid run of comments about growing up as a hockey player.
"I dropped out of school in grade nine," he said. "I didn't think I was going to do anything else ever."
It's not exactly a news flash that Avery's a player who breaks everything from the rules to the mold to keep himself interested in hockey. It's what makes puckheads love him or loathe him. But the notion that his path in professional hockey robbed him of other interests is something I haven't heard Avery voice very often, at least in this type of forum.
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The Vogue thing was sometimes portrayed as a way for Avery to transition away from hockey, which was never really the case.
To hear him talk about it, his fashion and social diversions are a way to broaden interests that were limited by his career path -- even if they defy the narrow, simplistic personality of most hockey players. It's fascinating.
Oh, and he chooses Obama over McCain. Just in case half the readers here didn't have enough ammunition yet.
