Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Two Games for Performance Art?

Yesterday, the Islanders’ James Wisniewski was called to pay the piper for his performance art display in Monday’s 6-4 win over the New York Rangers. The Islander defenseman was given a two-game vacation by the league office for his “gesture” toward the Rangers’ Sean Avery.



Unless you have been living under a rock since Monday afternoon, you know that with about five minutes left in the first period, Islander goalie Rick DiPietro covered a loose puck in the Islander crease. Avery, never one to let the chance pass to do something cheap, decided it would be a good idea to skate in and give Ricky D a little ice spray for his trouble. Wisniewski took offense and stepped up on Avery. As the two were being separated, Wisniewski expressed his opinion of Avery’s stunt in rather graphic terms that would make the reader of a family blog such as this blush.  Or so the story goes.

But frankly, we are wondering if Wisniewski’s gesture was misinterpreted. There is any number of possible explanations for Wisniewski’s actions…

-- He was expressing solidarity with the Chilean miners who had been trapped underground for two months, and he was demonstrating the drilling technique used to save them.

-- In arguing with Avery, perhaps he heard Avery remark that it was “music to his ears,” and Wisniewski was demonstrating how he might perform on the “oboe.”

-- Wisniewski was reminding Avery that they would meet again just after the close of Dental Assistant Recognition Week next March, and he wanted to remind Avery to attend to his oral health.

-- Avery was inquiring as to the proper method of consuming a popsicle.

-- Wisniewski was mimicking a singer holding a microphone while performing the title song from the famous musical, “Oklahoma!”

Today, Wisniewski serves the first of his two-game suspension by the league. We are going to guess this takes him out of the running for the Lady Byng Trophy.

But we’re thinking a lot of players harbor a belief that he merits consideration for the Hart Trophy for expressing precisely what they think of Manhattan’s Bad Boy.

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