The first bit of news gracing the NY Daily News website on Wednesday morning was that Sean Avery had gone into cardiac arrest, was found unconscious in a hotel room, and stopped breathing. They said the 28-year old New York Ranger was admitted into St. Vincent's Hospital at 3:30 a.m. after suffering from a lacerated spleen.

These details released by the NY Daily News are officially FALSE, according to Sean Avery in his interview with the New York Post's Larry Brooks. His response about the false reports as originally published by the NY Daily News: "To make up lies, it just shows the credibility of the people who would put that stuff out there and then try to stand by it even when it's proven false," he told Brooks. "That anyone would print something that's just false . . . I don't know why people have the need to lie about me."

The lacerated spleen occurred 3:30 into the first period after Avery's hit on Penguins' Brooks Orpik. He originally thought he had torn an abdominal muscle and continued playing through to the end of the game. It was after he spoke with Dr. Andrew Feldman about the shooting pains he was feeling in his shoulder that the doctor was able to assess what was wrong and went with him to the hospital.

Avery was placed in the Intensive Care Unit and released on Sunday.

I agree with Avery that the NY Daily News erroneous reports on what had happened to him was ill intended. To print something so sensationalistic for all of New York to read, which was then passed from publication to publication (including the NY Times, ESPN, this original article, etc.), scaring hockey fans (especially Rangers fans) without proof that this is what occurred shows the credibility of the publication that originally published the story.

People believed that he almost died and that his career was very likely over. The NY Daily News has an obligation to report the truth, not fabricate the situation. Their story was no better than the smut papers that publish crap news about celebrities. The only true facts from that story were that Avery had a lacerated spleen and would be out the remainder of the season. To tell the world that he went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing...I believe a whole lot of people stopped breathing in shock of that news (which has been proven to be false).

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In the second round of the playoffs, the Rangers were 1-4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins will faceoff against the Philadelphia Flyers in the final eastern conference bout before the final round in east meets west.

Avery contends that he wants to remain a Blueshirt, but if he does not agree to a contract with the New York Rangers, he will be looking for a new club in the New York City area when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

His unpaid internship at Vogue will begin soon now that the Rangers are out of the Playoffs.