from TSN site:
Kings' Avery: Players were brainwashed
Sean Avery
TSN.ca Staff
7/6/2005 10:00:41 AM
Los Angeles Kings forward Sean Avery says NHL players were wrong and are sorry for the lockout which cost fans an entire NHL season.
"We were brainwashed," he tells the Los Angeles Times about the decision to follow the union's advice during contract talks with the owners.
"We burned a year for nothing. We didn't win anything. We didn't prove anything. We didn't get anything. We wasted an entire season."
Avery places the blame for hte situation squarely on the shoulders of union boss Bob Goodenow, who he says "embarassed" a lot of players.
"I am furious at Bob (Goodenow)," Avery tells the newspaper. "Bob thought he was bigger than he was. Bob brainwashed players like me."
Avery claims most of the players did not know what was going on during the talks, did not know the "real story".
"We underestimated how rich the owners were," he said. "Nobody thought they would be willing to burn a season."
"They won. They beat us."
Avery says he understands the fans negative reaction towards the players.
"The saddest thing that happened to me during the lockout was the two or three times that fans asked me what was going on," he said. "I wished I could have apologized to them then. I apologize to them now."
"We owe the fans everything, we need to get them back, we need to cross our fingers that they will come back," he said.
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http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp...34&hubName=nhl