Iggy and Avery

First off Kudos to Iginla for passing Theoren Fleury in the points department though I think he did it in like 128+ more games than Fleury did which he was keen to point out in the Calgary Sun.  Eric Francis interviewed Fleury before the Iginla surpassed his mark with a 5 point game in a losing effort against Tampa Bay... yeah you read that right.  As a kid I liked Fleury mainly because I'm a Moose Jaw boy and Fleury came from the Warriors so of course you had to cheer him on just like I do Ryan Smyth (despite the fact that they actually both play(ed) for the Avalanche; a team I just love to hate).  Fleury was a player who played with a lot of heart and grit who let his off-ice vices get a hold of him.  I enjoyed watching him play and it is too bad that we do not have a time machine where we could transport Fleury and see how he would do in today's league when he was in his prime.  He thinks he would be great and so would I.

Today Avery returns to the NHL and is back in New York where he shared such great moments as making Kari Lehtonen look like a tool and then making himself look like one waving his stick around in front of the greatest goaltender in the game.  People are worried about what Avery will bring or take away from the Ranger locker room and frankly it does not matter.  If he is a disruption than it is Sather's fault for bringing him back but Avery did help that team when he was there and I think people should recognize that.  There are a few worries outside of that however.  One being that Shanahan, who kept Avery in line as much as he could, is no longer there.  You need a veteran presence in that locker room to keep him in line and that the Rangers have in abundance in Redden, Naslund, Drury and you might be able to fit Gomez in there as well but I do not really want to.  If the team is going to hold together and build off of what Avery is going to bring to their game then it is up to these three guys to do that.  Of course this is all moot if Avery does not need a veteran chaperone.  This then brings in the other worry is if Avery calms down too much and does not have the edge that he played with before.  He is a dynamite playoff performer and even the Avery haters have to admit that - though he can disappear.  One thing is for sure Tortorella has his hands full now, even more so than when he took charge of this sliding team.  

I do not want to be the first one to throw a stone at Avery (and I know for a fact that I am not) but I do enjoy his play when he is on his game.  I heard on the radio on my way home today that a guy (who will remain unnamed) wants Avery to fail again and then the league can be done with him.  I say no, this guy has the potential to be a new Jeremy Roenick and he has been given a lot of chances but perhaps this Dallas experience has finally set him straight.  I, myself, can only hope that he has changed for the better but I know I am in the minority.  Good luck to you Avery.  Don't screw it up.