Former New York Rangers hothead Sean Avery is set to be in Manhattan court Wednesday morning for the start of his trial on charges he used a scooter to hit a car that was blocking a bike lane a few years ago.

The pugnacious player, 42, was hit with a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief over the incident back in 2019 — and the case has dragged on ever since.

Avery, who retired from the NHL in 2012, originally said he was going to represent himself in court — against the judge’s advice — but has since hired criminal defense attorney Jason Goldman.

Goldman, a former Brooklyn prosecutor, questioned why the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office hadn’t dropped the case against his star client, telling The Post that, “the real focus should be on addressing the violent crime plaguing our city.”

“Instead, because of my client’s name, the District Attorney’s office is wasting unnecessary resources on prosecuting this trivial, petty matter against an individual with no criminal history whatsoever,” Goldman said in a statement Tuesday.

Prosecutors have offered Avery a series of plea deals, but he has opted not to take them, going to trial instead.

The case will be a bench trial, meaning it will be decided by a judge, not a jury. If convicted, Avery, who now lives in California, faces up to three months behind bars.

Avery — a fierce protector of bike lanes — is accused of bashing the driver’s side door of a car with his scooter at East Eighth Street and Broadway in Greenwich Village on Feb. 23, 2019.

“If I need to be the poster boy for defending the bike lanes, I will absolutely do that,” he told The Post following a court appearance in June 2019. “We need to be able to just bike in freedom.”

The car he allegedly hit belonged to venture capitalist Jonathan Schulhof, according to court documents reviewed by The Post.

Schulhof’s wife Kimberly Kravis, the daughter of the real estate scion and billionaire Henry Kravis, was in the vehicle at the time of the incident, according to a source with knowledge.

It is unclear if the two will be in court for the trial, which is expected to last between two to three days.

Reached by The Post for comment Tuesday, Kravis said, “I have no comment. Have a great night.”

Around the time of the alleged incident, Avery was known to frequently pick fights with drivers blocking bike lanes and then posting Instagram videos of the altercations.

The controversial former forward was arrested for throwing rocks at cars just days before his 2015 wedding to model Hilary Rhoda.

Avery was with the New York Rangers for roughly half his 10-year NHL career, before hanging up the skates.