Ex-NHL goon Sean Avery writes 'sexy and addictive' hockey romance book
During his time in the NHL, Sean Avery built up a reputation as one of the league’s all-time pests.
Never shy to run his mouth — or get in the face of an opposing goaltender, Avery picked up 1533 penalty minutes across just 580 career games with the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, LA Kings and Detroit Red Wings.
But as announced on his social media this week, Avery’s taking his talents to a new field: hockey romance novels.
Titled Summer Skate, Avery’s debut novel is set to release before the start of next year’s NHL season.
“September 9, 2025, the romance novel game is about to be elevated,” Avery announced on Instagram.
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While the novel, co-authored by Leslie Cohen, was officially announced earlier this year, it didn’t get much traction in the media until Avery’s post.
The story documents protagonist Jessica Riley suddenly becoming enamoured with (fictional) New York Rangers player Carter Hughes. According to a brief plot summary, Riley and Hughes meet in the Hamptons while the former fakes a mental breakdown in order to get away from her husband, children, and hectic job as a writer.
The book’s description reads: “Sexy and addictive, Summer Skate is the sun on your skin in a string bikini. It’s the sound of skates cutting across the ice of a hockey rink, chasing victory. It’s an answer to the question: How bad do you want it?”
The book is Avery’s second, after a 2018 memoir titled Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey.
Cohen, meanwhile, has penned two novels: This Love Story Will Self-Destruct and Ride or Die.
Avery isn’t the first NHL-affiliated personality to get their feet wet in the romance genre. Lexi LaFleur Brown, wife of former NHLer and current Seattle Kraken broadcaster J.T. Brown, penned a hockey romance novel, Shoot Your Shot, which came out in March.
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