Sean Avery has not been on the Rangers in five years, but the fans are still carrying on his spirit.
The Garden faithful serenaded Senators defenseman Dion Phaneuf with a “sloppy seconds” chant during the Rangers’ 4-1 Game 4 rout of Ottawa that evened the Eastern Conference semifinal. It came after Phaneuf fought with Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith in the third period.
The chant was in reference to Avery’s crude comments toward his ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert, in 2008 when she and Phanuef first started seeing each other. Cuthbert and Phaneuf have now been married for nearly five years, but Rangers fans were not shy about bringing up the painful memory.
“I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about, but enjoy the game tonight,” Avery, then with the Stars, said of Phaneuf, who was on the Flames at that point, and Cuthbert.
Avery would be suspended six games by the NHL for the comments and the Stars did not allow him to return to the team. Avery would rejoin the Rangers later that season.