Rangers try to rally around Avery
Sean Avery Hospitalized With Lacerated Spleen
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- A lacerated spleen, while never a walk in the park, is always better than cardiac arrest, as initial reports suggested was the case with Sean Avery. That may have explained an almost upbeat mood at the Rangers' facility Wednesday once the true nature of Avery's condition had been confirmed by team sources.
While some players expressed concern that Avery's family would have been upset by the grave reports, others were able to see the lighter side of the situation.
Brendan Shanahan joked that he had sent a message to Avery, telling him of the wild rumors that were percolating since Avery and team physician Dr. Andrew Feldman walked into St. Vincent's Medical Center after Tuesday's Game 3 of New York's Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. One of the rumors brought to Shanahan's attention? That he revived Avery with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Shanahan suggested Avery put that rumor to rest as quickly as possible.
Avery, who played all of Game 3 but felt discomfort during and after the game, was diagnosed as having a lacerated spleen. He's done for the season but is expected to make a full recovery.
"Sean is a very gutsy player, a guy who takes it personally. We all do," Shanahan said. "We all take this very seriously. Sometimes you think, 'Maybe it's a bruise. Maybe it's a pull.' When you wind down after the game, you realize that it's something worse.
"Sean gets a lot of attention for a lot of other things -- some fair, some unfair. But the one thing you can never, ever question is his competitiveness, his desire."
Avery is "completely fine," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "I've had enough of it now. We will find out more in the morning."
Even in the midst of a hard-fought playoff series -- and even though Avery might not have endeared himself to many Penguins players -- news of his injury was greeted with words of support from the Pittsburgh lineup.
"You don't want to see anybody get hurt or sick. You just hope he gets well," Penguins designated agitator Jarkko Ruutu said. "I don't know what happened, but you can't take anything for granted. You have to live life to the fullest -- every minute. That's it."
"[Injury] is never fun. I don't care how much of a pest he is on the ice," Pens center Maxime Talbot said. "When you look at this situation, you look at him as a human being and a colleague in the NHL. It's definitely not fun, and I wish him the best."
If the good news of Avery's injury was just that, good news, it did little to erase the reality of the Rangers' situation heading into Game 4 on Thursday. Without Avery, the Rangers are missing a top-six forward and physical presence who had seven points in eight playoff games. "It's a hole in our lineup," Renney acknowledged.
That wasn't the worst of it.
Chris Drury is struggling with some sort of undisclosed injury (perhaps injured ribs, given his discomfort after shifts), and Blair Betts is believed to have suffered a broken jaw. The availability of both players for a must-win game Thursday remains unknown.
But Renney insisted the series isn't over.
"It's daunting for sure," Renney said. "But we embrace it. It's a great story."
Scott Burnside is the NHL writer for ESPN.com.
