Sean Avery thinks NHL, Bettman doing poor job of marketing game

The NHL’s most famous mouthpiece is at is again, this time taking shots at the league and commissioner Gary Bettman over the marketing of hockey.

“I mean it would certainly be good for the game if we marketed the game, but the NHL does a terrible job of marketing,” Avery told Rachel Nichols of ESPN’s E:60. “They just, they haven’t figured it out that villains and heroes are what sells. Our commissioner hasn’t realized that he needs to probably do a better job of marketing the game and certainly some of the players in it. But I don’t think that’s ever going to change unless they hire me to run their marketing stuff.”

The full E:60 Avery interview will air on ESPN Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. EST.

Avery, who signed as a free agent in Dallas after playing last season with the Rangers, appeared on CBC’s The Hour on Wednesday and talked about personality Don Cherry.

“He's a staple as far as Canadian hockey goes,” Avery said during the interview. “And I grew up watching Coach's Corner, and he serves a purpose. But he really does not know s--t about hockey. He knows, like, unnecessary facts about putting Sears catalogues on your shin pads.”

He also added: “He says a lot of things. He calls people by their wrong names. And it's just, like, enough of this guy.”

The entire interview can be view on The Hour website.