Sean Avery was thrilled to find out that coach John Tortorella had been fired by the New York Rangers. "Oh, I had a huge smile on my face, no question about it," Avery said. "It's not that I'm happy for myself. I'm happy for the Rangers and Ranger fans. When I was a Ranger, no one was happier to walk into the Garden every day than me. I loved the team. I still do. I want the atmosphere to be the best it can be for the players. I want everyone in New York to be proud of the team. That's why I felt the way I did [on Wednesday] and that's why I sent that tweet." Avery is referring to a tweet he made in which he urged the Rangers to fire "this clown" because "his players hate him and won't play for his BS." Tortorella has a - to put it mildly - strong personality that could clash with others. It will be interesting to see if the Rangers next coach takes a softer tone with his players.

Sean Avery was signed by NYR on Friday January 18.

Sean Avery hasn't filed his retirement papers yet, but he has "no interest" in testing the free agent market. The former NHL agitator still plans to call it a career after his release this past season. Avery skated in 15 games with the New York Rangers in 2011-12 and seven with the AHL's Connecticut Whale.

Sean Avery was being serious when he announced his retirement during the After Show segment of Watch What Happens Live. Avery told host Andy Cohen, "I am officially retired; I threw my skates in the Hudson [River]." Although it wasn't immediately clear if Avery was being serious, he later clarified that it wasn't a joke. Avery said that he will retire as soon as his contract ends at the end of the season. He has 90 goals, 247 points, and 1,533 penalty minutes in 580 games with Detroit, Los Angeles, the New York Rangers, and Dallas.

Sean Avery and the New York Rangers have reportedly parted ways. According to ESPNNewYork.com, the agitator was told that he would not be on the post-season roster for AHL Connecticut and that he didn't have to come to the rink for practice or games anymore. Avery is playing in the final season of a four-year, $15.5-million contract. He has been waived twice by the Rangers and has appeared in only 15 games with the big club in 2011-12.

There's a chance that the New York Rangers will decide to put Sean Avery on re-entry waivers by Saturday morning. The Rangers would be basically doing Avery a favor by checking to see if another team wants him. If he clears re-entry waivers, then they'll probably just send him back to the minors. However, if they're going to give him a chance to finish his season elsewhere, then they have to act quickly because any team that claims him on re-entry waivers after the trade deadline would not be able to use him during the regular season or the playoffs. If they put him on re-entry waivers by Saturday morning, then he'll be either cleared or claimed by Monday at noon, which is three hours before the trade deadline. If Avery is claimed, the Rangers will be charged with a $209,460 cap hit for the rest of the season.

Sean Avery was called up from the minors on Saturday January 28.

Sean Avery was scratched from an AHL contest on Friday for disciplinary reasons. That sparked a rumor that Avery had spit on coach Ken Gernander, which Avery and the Rangers both deny. Still, the fact that he's getting benched from AHL games does not bode well as he attempts to prolong his NHL career. Avery's contract will expire at the end of the season and he'll probably part ways with the Rangers at that time.

With the New York Rangers getting healthier, Sean Avery's place with the NHL club for the long-term is in serious jeopardy. Avery was placed on waivers and sent to the AHL now that Wojtek Wolski and Marc Staal appear ready to return to the lineup. It's clear that Avery's status with the Rangers is that of an injury replacement only so he's not worthy of a spot on your fantasy club.

Just to confirm, Sean Avery has been sent to the AHL. Avery cleared waivers early Saturday, so him being sent to the minors was a foregone conclusion. Avery has vowed to "work his tail off" in the final season of his four year contract, even if he ends up spending the majority of it in the minors. It's also possible that Avery will end up getting traded or loaned to a KHL team this season.