Laraque accuses Avery of getting dirtier than usual in the corners

H O C K E Y

Oilers forward Georges Laraque says he was the target of a racial slur from Kings forward Sean Avery during Tuesday night’s game in Los Angeles. NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell spoke to both clubs yesterday, but was unable to confirm either player’s story. According to the Oilers enforcer, Avery made the comment when the two came together during second period action and Laraque challenged the centre to drop his gloves. Avery allegedly used the word “monkey” in his refusal to fight. Yesterday morning, Laraque would only say that he had spoken about the incident with Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe and Campbell, the league’s director of hockey operations. The Oilers filed a report with the NHL Tuesday night. Apparently no official on or off the ice heard anything, leaving the league with no concrete evidence to proceed with.