Ninja – no one knows at this time. Avery is talking re suing re libel. I have no idea who to believe. I do think he’s being called out since this was his 2nd pre game altercation in the last week or so.

Colin Campbell are you too busy dealing with this BS to take appropriate action??

DUCKS DEFENCEMAN SUSPENDED.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Eric Stephens reports Anaheim Ducks defenceman Maxim Kondratiev has been suspended for failing to report to their AHL affiliate in Maine.

HOKEJ.CZ: reports Kondratiev will join SKA St. Petersburg later this month. He’d signed with them during the summer but utilized an “opt-out” clause to play for the Ducks this season.

Spector’s Note: As Kondratiev is on a one-way contract he’d receive his NHL salary in the minors. Something tells me Ducks GM Brian Burke won’t be brokenhearted if Kondratiev heads to Russia.

Whether it’s the other guys making the first physical move or not, two pregame scuffles for one guy in a week, when they are incredibly rare to begin with: Campbell is just trying to take preventative measures to keep things from getting out of control.

It’s like something a firefighter told my class when I was in 2nd grade: the best way to put out a fire is to make sure it doesn’t start. Colin Campbell is probably just finding out what kind of shit Avery actually says and making sure that it isn’t coming close to something like Blake’s leukemia.

Maybe Newman is right about those reports passing along BS to sell a story and maybe Ninja was just trying to be a d*&k. Who you going to believe? Jagr or a reproter from Toronto.

“While Sean Avery is in Toronto for a hearing with Colin Campbell, back here at the Rangers’ practice rink, Brendan Shanahan vehemently denied that the Rangers’ superpest said anything about Jason Blake’s illness, noting that Blake himself and Darcy Tucker confirmed that. Jaromir Jagr denied that anyone in the Rangers’ dressing room would have ever said anything like that to the Toronto radio reporter who first floated the story and who may have to face legal action by Avery. Jagr also noted that a) Tucker and Blake were equally culpable for the pre-game altercation just for being there—they had the option to skate away, and b) Tucker was at fault for letting Avery get under his skin and escalating what until then was nothing. (There will probably be more on this from Blueshirts Blog and Rangers Report—they had their recorders running while I was watching the guys on the ice.)”

Dec 6th at MSG, we’ll see how tough Belak is.

Maybe Ninja wasn’t trying to stir $hit up, but quoting some reporter from the Toronto Star is half a step from quoting the National Enquirer.