Los Angeles Kings center Sean Avery has voiced his displeasure again.
Avery
On Monday, he lashed out at the NHL for his inability to appeal a fine and suggested the league is targeting him.
The NHL fined Avery $1,000 for diving during a game on Nov. 3, a dive that was not called during the game.
"How can a guy sitting in an office in New York determine if you dived or not by watching a tape?" Avery told the Los Angeles Times. "They don't know if you had a bad ankle or torn bursa sac or something. I can't even tell you what play they are talking about. They don't have to tell you a play, just what game they are looking at."
According to the Times' report, Avery had received a warning after he received a diving penalty in a game on Oct. 19.
Avery said he thinks he is under the microscope because of his past comments.
"No question that this is a way to do something to me," Avery told the Times. "It has nothing to do with diving. How can [director of hockey operations] Colin Campbell, or whoever it is, sit at a desk and make that call? They should send the tape to all seven members of the competition committee and let them look at it."
During the lockout, Avery told a Toronto radio station that league
contraction would be OK if European players were the ones who
lost jobs.
"I think they can eliminate a lot of Europeans who are mediocre
and are taking a lot of jobs," Avery said.
Later, in an interview with The Sports Network of Canada before the season's start, Avery vocied his displeasure
with French-Canadian players after Denis Gauthier of the Phoenix Coyotes delivered a check in Sunday's preseason game that left Kings teammate Jeremy Roenick with the 11th documented
concussion of his career.
"I think it was a clean hit," Avery then told TSN. "I
think it was typical of most French guys in our league with a
visor on, running around and playing tough and not back anything
up."
Avery later apologized for the comment. The league didn't discipline Avery for the comments, but NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly released a statement, calling Avery's remarks "insensitive" and added that "similar misconduct in the future would result in
the imposition of league discipline."
The league could not yet be reached for comment on Avery's latest comments.
So far this season, Avery has four goals and four assists in 17 games for the Kings, who lead the Pacific Division.
Information from SportsTicker was used in this report.