Sean Avery makes the NHL change their rules on the spot

NHL dope extraordinaire Sean Avery lived up to his billing as one of the biggest pests in the league by creating a screen on goalie Martin Brodeur this past weekend that was unlike any other seen in the history of the sport.



"I've played for 15 years in this league. I've been watching games for 33 years. I had never seen that in my life," Brodeur said. "I don't think that kind of behavior should be done in front of the net, but there is no rule for it."

There is now. The NHL wasted no time in making a rule change to stop such behavior (or behaviour for all of our Canadian friends).

"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," Colin Campbell, the NHL director of hockey operations said in a statement.

I think Penguins forward Gary Roberts summed it up best when describing Avery's actions: "He's an idiot."

May-be... but he can pull trim like few others: Exhibits A and B.

SI/AP