PHILADELPHIA — The Rangers had already started boarding the buses that would take them to the Philadelphia airport and from there to Prague on Monday night as Wayne Simmonds was answering reporters’ questions about the homophobic slur he may have used against Sean Avery.
It all started in the first period, when Philadelphia’s Tom Sestito rammed the Rangers’ Andre Deveaux into the boards from behind, a play that will almost certainly result in a multigame suspension from the N.H.L.’s new, tough disciplinary boss, Brendan Shanahan.
In the aftermath of the hit, Simmonds and Avery wrestled and exchanged angry words, an exchange that continued after they separated. Simmonds was caught on video seeming to mouth the slur.
Simmonds is the black player who was the object of an apparent racial slur last week in London, Ontario, when a fan threw a banana peel on the ice as Simmonds was taking a penalty shot. Avery, who is white, was suspended and ordered to undergo anger management training in 2008 for his own vulgar remarks regarding former girlfriends, but he also publicly urged the New York State Legislature last summer to legalize same-sex marriage.
It is the recent histories of the two principals that makes this particular controversy all the more trenchant.
Below, Avery’s postgame remarks to reporters, followed by those of Simmonds:
Q: What exactly happened out there?
AVERY: Well, what are you guys asking me?
Q: Did he call you what we think he called you?
AVERY: Yes. Yeah.
Q: Is he going to say that there was anything you said that made say what he said?
AVERY: I certainly hope not. Are you implying that it would be from something I said?
Q: No, I’m just asking–
AVERY: From my end, there was certainly nothing.
Q: Are you aware of what happened with him last week?
AVERY: Yeah. It’s really disappointing. When I saw that I thought, first of all, who would do that, and why would you do it? It’s such an unnecessary thing. It’s something that’s not even an issue with us, or our sport. So to be here now and to have to answer questions about what he did is disappointing for me. I’m disappointed for him.
Q: Do you feel like, when something says something like that, that should be treated in a similar context?
AVERY: I mean, Kobe Bryant got fined a hundred grand. Everything’s different now. It’s an issue. It’s an issue that people are dealing with and trying to overcome. I guess 10 years ago maybe it wasn’t so much an issue. But it’s certainly an issue politically, with people in the game, and just in life in general.
Q: Is there concern or a feeling that because you’ve been vocal on the issue this summer with the video you did that players will come back and use that against you?
AVERY: You know what, I haven’t even — I mean, it’s been said for years, whether I thought about it in that sense … I don’t know.
Q: Did you think he just said it out of emotion?
AVERY: Again, I have no idea.
Q: Would you like to see the league make a stand on this?
AVERY: That’s something that I’m not going to really comment on. I think that first of all, me commenting on things like that, the backlash that I could receive is unknown. I don’t want to put the team in a situation where they would have to deal with something because of me wanting to see something happen, or anything along those lines. So I’m not going to go there.
In an odd coincidence, Avery was speaking the same night that Columbus’s James Wisniewski was suspended for the rest of the exhibition season and eight regular-season games and fined almost $537,000 for an illegal hit. Last season, Wisniewski was suspended two games for directing a vulgar homophobic gesture at Avery.
After Avery spoke, Simmonds appeared in the Philadelphia dressing room and spoke to reporters.
Q: Could you tell us the nature of the exchange you had with Sean Avery?
SIMMONDS: You know, it was just a scrum. I felt that he sucker-punched me. We were going back and forth for the rest of the game, and emotions run high. We both exchanged words with each other.
Q: On the video it looked like you might have said a particular thing to him, a slur or something. Was that the case?
SIMMONDS: Honestly, we were going back and forth for a while there, and I don’t recall every single thing that I did say to him. He said some things that I didn’t like, and I said some things that he didn’t like. But I can’t recall every single word I said.
Q: What did he say to you?
SIMMONDS: Things get said out there. It’s not necessary that I repeat it to the media. So I’m not going to say what he said.
Q: When we talked to Avery in the room he said very definitely that you called him what we’ll call a homophobic slur. And he said he didn’t think that he said anything that would have prompted that.
SIMMONDS: He didn’t think he said anything? I mean, he’s Sean Avery, come on now. Who knows what comes out of his mouth.
Q: He didn’t say anything to you that would have prompted that, or did he not?
SIMMONDS: Well, we were going back and forth, battling the whole time. So he definitely said some things to me I wasn’t too happy about. But that’s where it is.
Q: Did he say anything that crossed the line?
SIMMONDS: I don’t know. I can’t recall every single word that was said. So I can’t really– I’m not here to say that he said this, and I’m not going to rat him out. It’s in the heat of a hockey game, that’s what it is.
Q: Did you feel that you said anything to him that crossed the line?
SIMMONDS: I don’t think so. It just got heated, like I said before. If you have to write a couple stories on it, that’s just what happens sometimes.
Q: Just considering what happened with you earlier, last week, is it surprising to find yourself on the other, kind of, end of this?
SIMMONDS: You know what? It’s something that happens every game. Guys say stuff, and you know what? It’s just the heat of the battle, of the game. It’s not necessarily things are said to hurt people. Sometimes it happens.
How the N.H.L. handles this incident — and even how it determines whether there is evidence of an actionable offense in the first place — will be fascinating to watch in the coming days.
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