Solar Bears sign Avery

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears have announced that forward Sean Avery has been signed a contract with the team. Avery will begin his tenure with the Solar Bears on the team’s reserve list. 

Avery, 41, joins Orlando after last playing professional hockey during the 2011-12 season with the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers and the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League. 

A veteran of 10 seasons in the NHL with New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Detroit, Avery brings 580 games of major league experience, collecting 247 points (90g-157a) and 1,533 penalty minutes. He twice led the NHL in penalty minutes during the 2003-04 and 2005-06 campaigns. 

Avery also has 124 regular season games of AHL experience with Hartford/Connecticut, Grand Rapids Griffins and Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, recording 62 points (32g-30a) and 539 penalty minutes. Avery has also played overseas for Finnish club Pelicans, tallying two goals, and his pro resume includes a stint at the “AA” level with the now-defunct United Hockey League’s Motor City Mechanics, where he notched 26 points (15g-11a) in 16 games. 

Prior to turning pro, the native of North York, Ontario played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Kingston Frontenac and Owen Sound Platers, where he amassed 253 points (87g-166a) and 564 penalty minutes in 221 combined games.