Irritating Avery will help Dallas Stars edge closer to Wings
"He's the little piece we were missing."
And at some point, Avery will have sports talk radio buzzing and the local and national media whipped into a frenzy about something he's done.
Maybe it'll be some postgame comments about an opponent or the Stars' performance. Perhaps it'll be an on-ice incident like when he used his stick to face-guard New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur in the playoffs, resulting in a rule change the next day.
Avery is with his third team since 2006 and has never spent more than two full seasons with any of his three previous clubs. The Rangers made no attempt to re-sign him.
"I spent some time trying to figure out why it happened," Avery said. "Why they didn't want me back in New York? It's tough to say."
Frankly, Avery is the kind of guy who can only last so long in one place, because sooner or later he's going to drive his teammates and management as crazy as he does the opposition.
"I like to push it to the edge. No question about that," Avery said. "That's how I play, and that's how I live. That's what I am all about, but I've learned to do it without hurting the team and affecting the 22 guys in the dressing room.
"I don't like to lose. I've never enjoyed it. I like to play hard, and I like to do whatever it takes for my team to win."
And that's what makes the Stars better equipped to beat Detroit in the playoffs.
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