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Sean Avery

NHL Player Turned Actor, Bestselling Author, & Bold Keynote Speaker

NHL Athletes Author Celebrity Civil Rights Communications Hollywood Leadership

Sean Avery is a former NHL enforcer and bestselling author who now commands the screen and stage with sharp storytelling and unfiltered honesty.

NHL Sports Speakers Athletes Sports Media Communications Team Building Leadership Civil Rights

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Meet Sean Avery

Sean Avery spent over a decade in the NHL terrorizing opponents, shattering expectations, and redefining the role of an agitator. Today, he’s making just as big of an impact beyond the rink—as a bestselling author, actor, and keynote speaker who brings the same intensity and drive to every room he enters. Sean Avery is available to be booked for corporate and private events. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Sean Avery’s fees.

Want to book Sean Avery for an event?

Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at (215) 995-0905 to book Sean Avery for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.

The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field. So whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.

Biography

Ice, Instinct, and Instigation

Born in Toronto and raised in Pickering, Ontario, Sean Avery built his name, and his brand, on defying convention. After clawing his way into the NHL as an undrafted free agent, Avery played 12 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, and most famously, the New York Rangers. His reputation as hockey’s ultimate provocateur earned him both condemnation and cult status, leading the league in penalty minutes multiple times and inspiring the NHL to create the now-famous “Avery Rule.”

However, reducing Sean to controversy alone would be missing the point. His on-ice charisma, tenacity, and fearlessness made him unforgettable—and made his transition beyond hockey anything but ordinary.

Reinvention, On and Off the Ice

Since his 2012 retirement from professional hockey, Sean has turned the page with equal intensity. He authored the critically acclaimed and bestselling memoir Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey, earning praise for its raw honesty, sharp wit, and unapologetic introspection.

From there, Sean’s pivot to the creative world took hold. He interned at Vogue, modeled for major fashion brands, and carved out a space in acting, appearing in Patriots Day, Mile 22, Tenet, and Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer.

Controversial, Candid, Compelling

Avery’s story isn’t polished—it’s real. He’s spoken out against the NHL’s culture, called out hypocrisy, and gotten under the skin of teammates, opponents, and management. But he’s also become a voice for personal growth, resilience, and reinvention. Notably, he was the first professional athlete from the NFL, NHL, NBA, or MLB to publicly endorse New York State’s push for Marriage Equality. His journey through controversy, fame, and self-discovery makes for fireside chats that are riveting, insightful, and refreshingly honest.

Whether he’s discussing the psychology of competition, the art of reinvention, or the qualities that build elite teams, Sean Avery doesn’t hold back. He’s uniquely him—and he’s unforgettable.

How to Hire Sean Avery

To hire Sean Avery for an event, contact the Mollie Plotkin Group with the proposed event date, location, audience size, event format, and program goals. Sean Avery is available for corporate events, conferences, leadership meetings, private events, workshops, fireside chats, and virtual programs.

After receiving your request, a Mollie Plotkin Group booking agent will review Sean Avery’s availability, discuss the event details, and get back to you within 48 hours with next steps for securing Sean Avery for your program.

Sean Avery Booking Fee

The cost to book Sean Avery depends on the event date, location, format, audience size, and scope of the appearance. Speaking fees may vary for keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, private events, corporate meetings, and virtual programs.

For the most accurate Sean Avery booking fee, contact the Mollie Plotkin Group with your event details. Our team will help confirm availability, pricing, and the best format for your event.

Speaking Topics & Programs

A Fireside Chat with Sean Avery

Sean Avery’s most compelling moments come in conversation—not from a podium. That’s why his appearances are structured as moderated fireside chats: dynamic, unscripted, and honest. This format allows audiences to engage directly with Sean’s perspective while giving space for thoughtful reflection, humor, and spontaneous storytelling.

Popular Fireside Chat Themes:

High-Performing Teams – Chemistry, Conflict, and Calling Each Other Out: Drawing on his time in NHL locker rooms and Hollywood sets, Sean pulls back the curtain on what makes elite teams succeed—or implode. From toxic egos to tight-knit bonds, he explores how accountability, trust, and the ability to handle conflict head-on are often more important than talent alone. It’s a compelling conversation about building—and protecting—a high-performance culture in any organization.
Reinvention After the Game: What do you do when the one thing you’ve built your entire identity around disappears? For Sean Avery, the answer wasn’t retreat—it was reinvention. In this candid conversation, Sean walks audiences through the chaotic process of pivoting from professional athlete to author, actor, and creative force. He shares lessons on resilience, starting over, and why the skills you think define you might be holding you back. This powerful session is perfect for anyone navigating change, transition, or reinvention.
The Unwritten Rules – Challenging the Norms That Hold Teams Back: Every industry has its own “unwritten rules”—those quiet expectations that shape how people behave. In this conversation, Sean dissects how these norms play out in the locker room, leadership, and organizational life—and how breaking them can be necessary for progress. Audiences will walk away with a renewed willingness to question tradition, speak up, and reset what“normal” looks like.
Why Saying What Others Won’t Can Drive Real Results: In a corporate landscape often dominated by vague messaging and passive language, Sean offers a refreshingly direct take on the power of candor. He shares how cutting through the noise—whether in the boardroom or on the bench—can lead to faster decisions, stronger alignment, and deeper trust. A must-hear discussion for teams seeking to improve communication, clarity, and connection across all levels of leadership.
No Gruffs Given – Audience Q&A: No filters. No script. Just straight talk. In this open-format Q&A session, audiences are invited to ask anything—from NHL locker room stories and Hollywood antics to personal growth, public controversy, and the art of the comeback. Sean thrives in spontaneous, honest exchange—making this an unforgettable way to cap off a conference or energize a corporate retreat.

Books

Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey

**One of Sports Illustrated's Best Sports Books of 2017**

Controversial hockey star Sean Avery's no-holds-barred memoir of high living and bad behavior in the NHL—coupled with the behind-the-scenes glitter of celebrity and media nightlife in New York and LA.

As one of the NHL’s most polarizing players, Sean Avery turned the rules of professional hockey on its head. For thirteen seasons, Avery played for some of the toughest, most storied franchises in the league, including the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings, and the New York Rangers, making his mark in each city as a player that was sometimes loved, often despised, but always controversial.

In Ice Capades, Avery takes his trademark candidness about the world of pro hockey and does for it what Jim Bouton's game-changing Ball Four did for baseball. Avery goes deep inside the sport to reveal every aspect of an athlete’s life, from what they do with their money and nights off to how they stay sharp and competitive in the league. While playing the talented villain in the NHL, Avery broke far away from his on-ice character in the off-season, and Ice Capades takes the reader inside the other unexpected and unprecedented roles that Avery inhabited—Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restauranteur, gay rights advocate, and many more.

Love him or hate him, Sean Avery changed the way professional hockey is played today. Rollickingly honest and compelling throughout, Ice Capades transcends the “sports book” genre and offers a rare, unvarnished glimpse into the world of 21st century hockey through the eyes of one of its most original and memorable players.

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