I understand my profile picture was bad, but it says my ban expired yet I can't get in the game?

Is there something i'm missing here or?

How many hours does it say are left?

1 hour still.

Your avatar being removed was a sanction from the forums, not ingame. It shouldn't have had any effect on being able to log into the game.

What happens when you try to log in, are you greeted with any kind of message? Does it explicitly say you were banned?