Washington Capitals mourn Ray Emery’s passing
By Ron Juckett
Along with the hockey world, the Washington Capitals and you mourn the passing of retired goalie Ray Emery. He drowned near his home.
The Washington Capitals and their fans join the hockey world in mourning the untimely death of Ray Emery. The feisty goalie drowned over the weekend in Hamilton, Ontario. He was 35.
Emery played parts of 11 seasons in the NHL. With the Ottawa Senators, he helped bring the Sens to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.
In 2012-13, he shared the Jennings Trophy with Corey Crawford with the Chicago Blackhawks. Although Emery did not play in the play in the postseason, Chicago won the Cup and his name is engraved on it.
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Emery spent one season in Anaheim with the Mighty Ducks and played three years over two tours with the Philadelphia Flyers. Overall, he played in 287 regular-season games with a 2.70 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Also, he racked up 71 career penalty minutes and was never afraid to mix it up.
Perhaps his most memorable game against Washington came in November 2013. On a night where the Caps pounded the Flyers 7-0, Emery, after the last goal, pounded an unwilling Braden Holtby as part of a line brawl.
But, Emery was more than a fighter with goalie pads against Washington. During his time with Ottawa, he played brilliantly against the Caps twice within a month in the spring of 2006. Although he did not win both games, he made over 30 saves and allowed a goal in both. That is 61 saves on 63 shots.
His last win against Washington came with the Flyers on February 8, 2015. That night, in relief, he allowed a single goal over the last period and a half for the victory. Emery never faced Washington in the playoffs.
Washington fared better against Emery than any other team he faced over 10 times. In 14 games, the Caps were 8-5 with a 3.68 GAA. Only Philly and Edmonton did better, but combined they played 13 games against him.
Fierce is the best word to describe Ray Emery between the pipes. He had the talent to play a long time in the National Hockey League and was never afraid to defend himself. Although his brawl with Holtby was not his smartest moment, his passing should be remembered by the Washington Capitals and hockey fans everywhere.