The Bad and the Ugly

Move over, Todd Bertuzzi, there's a new punk in the NHL, and his name is Sean Avery.

Edmonton Oilers forward Georges Laraque, who is black, claims that the hot-headed Avery threw a racial slur his way during a game vs. Avery's Los Angeles Kings, according to Canadian Press. The NHL said it won't punish Avery because it lacks evidence that he made the remark during the game Tuesday night.

This isn't the first time Avery has stirred the winds of controversy. The league reprimanded Avery in the preseason for his comments regarding a tough hit by Danis Gauthier on Kings teammate Jeremy Roenick. The left-handed-shooting forward was quoted as saying the hit was "typical of most French guys in our league with a visor on, running around and playing tough and not back(ing) anything up."

Speaking of Bertuzzi, a lawsuit filed against the Vancouver Canuck over his vicious attack on former Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore was thrown out of court Thursday because the judge said the case had no standing in the Rocky Mountain state.

Denver district Judge Shelley Gilman said the case should be tried in Canada instead, where the incident occurred in March 2004. Moore was punched in the head by Bertuzzi during a game between the Avalanche and Canucks and fell to the ice. Moore suffered three fractured vertebrae and a concussion, and has not played in an NHL game since. Bertuzzi was suspended and reinstated in August. Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to an assault charge and was sentenced to a year's probation and 80 hours of community service.

In other news, Bertuzzi's Canucks got taken behind the woodshed by the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night by the score of 6-0. Wild Rookie Matt Foy scored his first two NHL goals. The two teams meet again Friday night in St. Paul, Minn. These two teams have created one of the more intense rivlaries in the National Hockey League. In the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2003, the Wild came back down 3 games to 1 to beat the Canucks and advance to the Western Conference Finals.