Sean Avery Channels Inner Stacey Abrams With New Career

Former National Hockey League (NHL) player Sean Avery veered away from his athletic career to write a romance novel.

The 45-year-old announced his debut novel “Summer Skate” in a May Instagram post, noting it’s slated for release in September.

Instead of leaning into his career on the ice, Avery dropped his gloves to dive into a “sexy and addictive” romance novel.

The unexpected pivot is a far cry from the release of his 2018 memoir, “Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey.”

It’s hard to imagine how he went from that book to a write-up about a love affair.

Avery’s new book is co-authored with Leslie Cohen and will be released by publishing company Simon & Schuster.

He shared an image of the book’s cover on Instagram.

“September 9, 2025, the romance novel game is about to be elevated. Pre-order #summerskate at my link in bio,” he wrote.

Avery posted a link in his Instagram bio so fans could pre-order the book.

The story is set in Long Island, New York, and follows the life of bestselling author Jessica Riley, according to Simon & Schuster’s description.

Riley “fakes a mental breakdown” to escape her demanding life and the everyday responsibilities of motherhood, according to Simon & Schuster.

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 29: Sean Avery #16 of the New York Rangers fights with Tyler Kennedy #48 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during their game on November 29, 2010 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Jessica eventually discovers the “house next door is filled with rowdy hockey players.” One of the players is Carter Hughes, “a soon-to-be rookie on the New York Rangers,” who appears to be the love interest.

The story gets complicated when Hughes “mixes with the power scene in the Hamptons,” according to the description.

The former athlete could have created any sort of storyline for his book, but for some reason, he decided to venture into a sultry love story.

Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was previously a romance novelist, and she wrote under the pseudonym Selena Montgomery.

Avery played on a number of NHL teams, including the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers. (RELATED: Unhinged Hollywood Star Pedro Pascal Tries To Mansplain Womanhood To J.K. Rowling)

He retired from professional hockey in 2012 and has dabbled as an actor.

He played the weatherman in the 2023 Academy Award-winning film “Oppenheimer.”

Only time will tell if his lovey-dovey book is well received by readers, but something tells me NHL fans are not usually the ones yearning for romance novels.