Mendes on Emery: Showing Ray some respect
Posted March 1, 2012 1:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Since the Senators bought out his contract in the summer of 2008, Ray Emery has not returned to Scotiabank Place to play a game.
However, that should change on Friday night, as Emery will likely get the start in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks.
It will be interesting to see the reaction Emery receives from the crowd, as he was one of the most polarizing figures to ever put on a Senators jersey. If this return to Scotiabank Place had happened four years ago, I’m almost certain that Emery would have been roundly booed by the hometown crowd.
But now that so much time has passed, I really feel like Ray should get a warm welcome back to Ottawa. For all of his shortcomings, Emery is still the only goalie to ever take this franchise to the Stanley Cup final. He was only 24-years old at the time and maturity was not his strong suit. He was a distraction, he was immature and at times, he was selfish. But he was also immensely talented, fiercely competitive and proud to a fault.
He was also put into some pretty unfair situations during his time in Ottawa. He was thrown into the playoffs in 2006 after Dominik Hasek’s adductor injury made him disappear. Emery responded by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs, before losing to Buffalo. That summer, the club went out and signed Martin Gerber, because they felt that Emery wasn’t ready to handle the load. By Christmas, Emery had seized the No. 1 job and ended up taking this team to the Cup final.
He signed a three-year contract extension that summer, but wrist surgery delayed his start of the 2007-08 season. This time, the roles had reversed, as Gerber led the Senators off to one of the fastest starts in NHL history and had supplanted Emery as the No. 1 goalie. When he came back, Emery seemed bothered that he wasn’t given the starter’s job without question. He missed practices, left the ice early and exhibited terrible work habits.
When the Senators were swept in the first round of the playoffs that year, Emery — who had taken them four rounds the previous spring — sat on the bench. His time in Ottawa officially came to an end a few weeks later when Bryan Murray decided it was best to get Emery’s attitude away from the Senators dressing room.
Emery’s reputation had become so tarnished, that he was forced to take a job in the KHL to prove he wanted to play the game. After a season overseas, the Philadelphia Flyers signed him to a contract before the 2009-10 season. But a serious hip injury de-railed that plan and by January of 2010, we all assumed we’d heard the last of Ray Emery.
There was no way the guy with the terrible work ethic was going to fight back from a potentially career-ending hip injury, just to get a free agent tryout somewhere. But that’s where we were all wrong about Emery. In the past 24 months, he has shown a tremendous dedication to the game of hockey. He was Anaheim’s starting goalie in the playoffs last season and could very well seize the job again in Chicago this spring.
The old Emery — the one we knew in Ottawa — would not have responded this way. But it’s clear that he’s matured and moved on; and so should we. In the spring of 2007, Emery took this city on the greatest ride they’ve ever experienced. On Friday night, the fans in Ottawa should finally thank him.
And in case you’re wondering how the fans will treat him, I asked that question on Twitter last night. The overwhelming majority of fans feel that Emery should be honored in his return and here is a sampling of some of the responses I received last night:
@lavicgroove: we should show him a lot of respect … coming back from that surgery is almost a miracle!!!
@EricLatreille: I think Emery deserves a good welcome in Ottawa he did is best for us in our cup run
@Al_Rankin: Hell, Ottawa should play it classy and do a playoff run tribute.
@alexmontgomery: He was run out of Ottawa by the media. Emery wasn’t perfect but he didn’t deserve the treatment he got.
@jhodgert: Emery deserves standing O. Did great here in tough spot. Glad he’s back on track
@sandman71: I’ll be standing & clapping for Emery if he hits the ice. My reaction will be completely positive, until the game starts đŸ™‚
@KingAlfie11: I plan on wearing my Emery jersey and giving him a standing O if he starts. Love that guy.
@mjamesbentley: gotta give him credit, worked through so much to get back. gained humility in the process
@mtipman: I will welcome him back with open arms and cheers!
@SenatorsFan I don’t know many #Sens fans that hold a grudge against him. Besides, we’re all in a good mood these days đŸ˜‰
@Pav603: I am not sure of the reaction. Most people still remember what was said about him. I’m hoping it will be a good reaction.
@SensDew19: he did NOTHING wrong in Ottawa! If anyone booes ill file an official fan complaint đŸ˜‰
I’m thinking Emery will get a decent ovation when his name is announced as the starting goalie on Friday night.
