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There was no handshake between Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur. In the NHL playoffs, teams do serious battle during series but when they conclude, the hockey tradition has always been to shake the opponents’ hand.

However, the future Hall of Fame Devils’ netminder didn’t even look at his nemesis opting to ignore the Ranger agitator, who got the better of him during the Rangers’ five-game First Round series triumph in the latest Battle of the Hudson.

While I was pondering last night if every Red Wing shook Claude Lemieux’s hand back in 1996, Going Five Hole’s Sean Leahy confirmed that indeed even Kris Draper shook the pest’s hand after a nasty series in which eventual Stanley Cup champ Colorado prevailed.

So, was it right for Brodeur to diss Avery? If you followed this series, the Ranger’s unusual screening tactics in Game Three which included waving his stick at Brodeur during a five-on-three definitely crossed the line. Even following his team’s only win, the Devil goalie was at a loss for words over such antics from the NHL’s most despised player. Avery makes Darcy Tucker look like Luke Skywalker.

My guess is Screen Gate was the ultimate factor in Brodeur giving Avery the shaft. But I still have doubts as to whether he would’ve obliged if the well documented episode didn’t take place.

Brodeur didn’t have to shake Avery’s hand but it showed poor sportsmanship and little class from a goalie who’s always been universally respected around the league. Unlike many curious observers, it didn’t offend me much considering the history. Since Avery was acquired by New York from Los Angeles last year, he’s driven the three-time Stanley Cup champion nuts.

I was more interested to see what Brodeur had to say afterwards which wasn’t much. Just the way he handled questions showed that Avery had gotten to him. The normally loquacious Devil used few words and barely looked into the camera showing plenty of frustration. It was as if he couldn’t be bothered. I thought maybe he’d be a little more composed. Disappointing to say the least.

As for Avery, who helped finish off the Devils taking plenty of hits to setup a Scott Gomez goal during last night’s first period, he finally broke his silence after the series was over:

“Everyone talks about how much class I don’t have, well it’s the end of the series and men go to war against each other. I guess he forgot to shake my hand. … Of course I was going to shake his hand.”

The recently turned 28 year-old from Ontario had a very effective series scoring in each of the first three games and adding a couple of helpers while just picking up three minors. Clearly, he kept his cool against an opponent which tried to get underneath his skin.

As for Brodeur, it wasn’t a good five games as he allowed a few questionable goals posting a 3.19 GAA (Goals Against Average) and .891 save percentage while getting outplayed by Ranger counterpart Henrik Lundqvist.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the prideful 35 year-old Montreal native who might go down as the greatest player to occupy his position. The Devils beat their bitter rival only twice all season including a home shootout win to end the regular season. Never before had they lost all three home games in a playoff series. When the question was posed to Brodeur, he was speechless.

While the three-time Vezina winner will have the rest of the Spring and Summer to contemplate what went wrong, Avery is moving on to Round Two waiting to find out who the Rangers’ next opponent will be.

After referring to Brodeur as “Fatso” during a postgame interview seen on MSG Network, he made a valid observation on the recent series which Avery and teammates flourished in:

“I knew there was going to be a lot of attention on me. “I don’t know the extent of it because I don’t read sports. I read Vogue. I just try to stay focused.

“I tried to do what was best for the team, and I just wanted to play hard and win games.”