An all-sports radio station being sued for libel is expected to issue a retraction about a report on comments attributed to New York Rangers forward Sean Avery during a pre-game altercation with Toronto Maple Leafs players in November.

According to the Toronto Star, The Fan 590 will make the retraction on both Monday and Tuesday during its Hockey Central show, which runs during the noon hour and is also televised on Rogers Sportsnet.

New York Rangers' Sean Avery, top, slams Toronto Maple Leafs' Darcy Tucker to the ice during their game on Sunday, April 1, 2007 at Madison Square Garden in N.Y.
(Ed Betz/Associated Press)

Avery's lawyer served libel notices against both the Fan and the Star with respect to their reports on the matter after Avery issued an emotional statement denying them on Nov. 13.

The report suggested an unnamed Rangers teammate claimed Avery commented on Jason Blake's battle with a rare but treatable form of leukemia.

Avery's agent Pat Morris has denied that his client made any comments.

"I have now talked to Sean," Morris said. "He has indicated to me that he did not say that.

"He is treating this matter seriously. And now, the matter is in the hands of his legal advisers."

Avery, 27, shoved Blake and got into a heated exchange with Darcy Tucker during the pre-game warm-up prior to New York's 3-2 shootout victory over the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre on Nov. 10.

Blake told the Star he isn't certain what Avery said, telling reporters at a news conference: "You hear a lot of things in the game, and that's not the worst thing that was said ... and I don't even know if he said it."

Fan reporter Howard Berger, who filed the initial report, will reportedly provide the voiceover for the retraction.