Ex-NY Ranger ‘Whacked’ with Guilty Verdict After Bizarre Incident
Former New York Rangers' tough guy, Sean Avery, has found a new fight in his post-hockey life: the safety of bikers and other roadway inhabitants.
It may sound odd, but it's true. The YouTube channel Sean Avery's Bike Lane has videos showing Avery's angry reactions toward drivers who violate bike lane laws, or otherwise inconvenience bikers and other people on the road. There have been a few times in recent years where New York residents have been on the receiving end of the same kind of anger that fueled Avery through over 500 NHL games.
Unfortunately, Avery may have crossed the line in his fight for biker safety back in 2019, and he's paying the price in 2022.
Former New York Ranger Sean Avery Guilty of Criminal Mischief
As reported in a story by Yahoo, former New York Rangers' enforcer Sean Avery was found guilty of criminal mischief last week, a verdict that stems from an incident that involved Avery and a driver in 2019.
The arrest, and conviction, came about after Avery slammed his scooter into the door of a minivan while he was riding in Greenwich Village in New York City. Avery claimed that he was simply trying to avoid crashing into the vehicle, and that his contact was accidental. The description from the prosecution was much different, saying that Avery purposefully swung his scooter into the door, creating a hole in the process.
It was also reported that Avery and the driver got into a heated argument, and that Avery admitted to making fun of the driver's baldness during the exchange. Avery reportedly made things worse during the trial, by asking for a trial by jury, then exclaiming that he would be representing himself after his request was denied.
His lawyer, who was already in the courtroom with him, proceeded to leave.
As explained above, this type of performance on the road isn't a first for Avery. He's gotten into multiple arguments over driver conduct, and has drawn criticism for his antics on the road in recent years. One example of that conduct can be seen in a TMZ Sports video above.
An Enforcer, Avery Played 580 Games in the NHL in His Career
Avery was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Detroit Red Wings' organization in 1999. Even that early in his career, at age 19, people in the hockey world knew that Avery could be a major presence on an NHL roster. In his final season of junior hockey, playing in Kingston, he had 84 points and 215 penalty minutes.
Avery made his NHL debut with Detroit in 2001-02, and though he did not play enough games to get his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, was with the organization when they won the title that year.
Avery played a combined ten years in the NHL, with the Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. In 581 games, Avery tallied 247 points, and 1,533 penalty minutes. He was also involved in a number of controversies both on and off the ice, and was the target of ire from opposing players, and sometimes, his own teammates.
He's one-of-a-kind, that's for sure.