Ex-NHLer Avery to play policeman in Boston Marathon bombing film

Former NHL bad boy Sean Avery will now be looking to uphold the law.

The veteran of 580 NHL games will be doing an about-face compared to his on-ice antics when he portrays a Watertown police officer in the upcoming film "Patriots Day," about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, according to Matt Juul of Boston Magazine.

Avery posted a picture to Instagram on Tuesday where he's dressed in a police uniform and noted the obvious irony of the situation.

The film - set to be released in 2017 - will be directed by Peter Berg and boast a star-studded cast including Michelle Monaghan, Mark Wahlberg, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon, and John Goodman.

-With h/t to BarDown