Sean Avery’s comeback, it turns out, was short-lived. As in, not much longer than 48 hours.
The ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears announced Friday that they released Avery just two days after signing the 41-year old, dropping a two-paragraph, Pizza Hut-sponsored press release that didn’t specify a reason for the unceremonious end.
Avery, who had been out of hockey for a decade, said on a podcast in the lead-up to the signing that he wanted to get physically ready to walk onto an NHL team’s training camp roster in the fall. Whether that’s still the plan is unclear, but it won’t be happening in Orlando.
The controversial former Ranger was widely considered a bully during his playing career, and has dealt with some issues since retirement, including a 2016 restraining order for harassing his mother-in-law.
Sean Avery was released from the Orlando Solar Bears just two days after being signed. NHLI via Getty ImagesAn eventual return to the NHL seems unlikely for Avery, though that was the case even prior to his release.
Avery played parts of six seasons with the Rangers, finishing his career with the Blueshirts in 2012. He famously called it quits at 31, telling Bravo’s Andy Cohen, “I am officially retired; I threw my skates in the Hudson (River).”
