Sean Avery, the effective but often “annoying,” penalty-baiting left wing for the New York Rangers has found a way to get the rules officially changed in the middle of the NHL playoffs. This time, it was his antics in front of Devils’ goalie Martin Brodeur during a 5-on-3 power play that led to the league officially writing in a previously unwritten rule.

The incident in question involved Avery deliberately skating to the front of the net during a 2-man advantage and waving his hands and stick in front of Brodeur’s face, in an obvious attempt to distract and screen him. While many may applaud Avery’s “do what you gotta do” playoff mentality, the NHL apparently didn’t, and issued a notice to the league that what Avery did will from here on out be considered a penalty. It is now an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The new rule now, as stated by NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell is:

“An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender’s face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play.”

If you haven’t seen the play, enjoy.

I’m torn on this one, as it is definitely a bush-league move, but it didn’t break a rule as he helped his team in the playoffs. I guess I’ll just say that as long as it was legal, I have no problem with it, and now that it is a penalty, I’m fine with that. But it was definitely bush-league.

Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated comes to Avery’s defense after the whole hockey world has come down on Avery for ruining hockey’s good name.

Many in hockey have come out bashing Avery for his amateurish moves, and about the only one who seemed fair about it was Brodeur himself, saying “I don’t think that kind of behavior should be done in front of the net, but there is no rule for it.”

Avery may be an annoyance, and he may be disliked by many in the league, but he broke no written rule here and was properly not penalized.

The guy finds ways to get under people’s skin, and this was just another way to do that. It’s playoff hockey, suck it up. If you don’t like it, hockey has ways to “take care of” players who break unwritten rules.

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