I spoke about this with the other puckheads on TWeekD last night, but I want to elaborate on my position. What Avery did was unheard of, but also innovative. Don’t forget the fact that Avery scored shortly afterwards on a different play, showing the effectiveness of his unorthodox screening methods. However, Colin Campbell swept in and “reinterpeted” Rule 75 to keep it from happening again.

“An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) 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.”

This is overkill. Colin Campbell has stuck his nose where it doesn’t belong and starting tweeking based on singular incidents that should NOT have this much impact. Other players have argued the rule change is good because it addresses an unwritten rule of hockey. If it’s an unwritten rule, have a Devil do some enforcing like so many other unwritten rules are dealt with!

I’ll leave you with a quote that shows some backhanded respect for the play, showing how Avery was just doing what he does best by getting into the head of the other team.

“Nobody should have to play hockey with a stick an inch from your face,” Brodeur told the Daily News. “But it wasn’t a bad play. While he was doing it, I couldn’t see anything. The two misses were just luck, I couldn’t see a thing.” - Martin Brodeur