5 NHL controversies that shocked the sport

The NHL has seen plenty of controversy whether it is from calls or players. However, the league has generally done a good job of addressing the controversy right away and limiting the damage.

However, sometimes the league does have notable controversies that get picked up by the media, and here are five:

#1, Sheldon Kennedy

Graham James was the head coach of a junior hockey team and he reportedly sexually assaulted players, including Sheldon Kennedy and Theo Fleury.

Kennedy's hockey career was cut short, as he claimed the abuse gave him trauma. Fleury revealed he was sexually assaulted by James which caused him to turn to drugs.

James was found guilty and was incarcerated for 350 sexual assaults.

#2, Rick Tocchet

Rick Tocchet is the current head coach of the Vancouver Canucks but he nearly faced jail time. In 2007, Tocchet pleaded guilty to running a sports gambling ring.

He had a 22-year NHL career, but while he was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes, he was reportedly running a gambling ring that saw Wayne Gretzky's wife place bets.

Tocchet received two years probation, but he was able to return to coaching in 2009.

#3, Cause-based jerseys

This is a recent controversy, as the NHL has often worn caused-based jerseys in warmups. Whether it was for Military night, Hockey Fights Cancer or Pride jerseys, fans would see NHL players wearing special jerseys. These were auctioned off with the money going to charity.

However, this past season, some players opted not to wear the Pride jerseys, and after all the backlash, the NHL announced that caused-based jerseys will no longer be worn.

#4, Bruins-Rangers fan brawl

In 1979, a famous fan brawl took place. The Boston Bruins were in New York to play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. After the two sides started to brawl on the ice, some Bruins players went into the crowd to fight fans.

This brawl was well before the "Malice at the Palace," and players were landing punches on fans while the fans used their shoes in defense.

#5, Sean Avery and Dion Phaneuf

Sean Avery was a controversial figure in the NHL for quite some time. He was full of trash-talk and sometimes did cross the line.

In 2008, that happened to be the case as in the locker room, Avery took aim at Dion Phaneuf for dating his ex-girlfriend. Here's what he said to reporters:

"I'm just going to say one thing. I'm really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight."

As a result of that comment and other comments, Sean Avery was suspended for six games.