Sean Avery

Avery was a restricted free agent, so the Kings avoided going into salary arbitration by signing him to a deal.

Avery mocked and bullied Kings teammate Dustin Brown – a teenager at the time – on several occasions, including poking fun at Brown's lifelong lisp and insinuating that Brown's then-girlfriend (now wife) was not glamorous enough to be the girlfriend of a hockey player in Hollywood. While light-hearted ribbing and razzing is commonplace in NHL locker rooms, former Kings teammate Ian Laperriere told Sports Illustrated in April 2012 that the bullying was something "like you might see in high school."

On February 5, 2007, Avery was traded by the Kings to the New York Rangers in a multi-player deal. After Avery joined the Rangers, he scored 20 points in 29 games to help the team complete a 17–4–6 end-of-season run to qualify for the playoffs. Avery recorded a career-high four points in a game against the Boston Bruins on March 17. He notched one goal and added three assists to help the Rangers beat the Bruins 7–0. Avery later played in his first career playoff game on April 12 against the Atlanta Thrashers. He recorded his first playoff points with a goal and an assist in the series against the Thrashers. Read Less

He was released from the St. Vincent's Medical Center on May 4. Read Less

However, Hull said the Stars would continue to honor Avery's contract and support him while he gets help. Earlier, TSN reported that Stars management was actively pursuing all options to permanently rid themselves of Avery. Hull said one factor in the decision was that coach Dave Tippett and the rest of the team did not want to take Avery back. Earlier, Tippett had said he had specifically told Avery not to talk to the media about his former girlfriends, and was very upset when he did so. Read Less