Raymond Robert Emery (né Nichols; September 28, 1982 – July 15, 2018) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eleven seasons, between 2003 and 2015. Emery was chosen 99th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 NHL entry draft. During the 2006–07 season, he gained the starting job and backstopped his team to the Stanley Cup Final, the first appearance in the final for the current Senators' franchise. However, in the subsequent season, he lost his place as the team's starting goaltender due to an injury. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.
In 2013, Emery won the William M. Jennings Trophy along with teammate Corey Crawford, awarded to the goaltender or goaltenders who give up the fewest goals in the season. Emery was a two-time Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalist for his dedication and perseverance.
Early life
Emery was born Raymond Robert Nichols on September 28, 1982, in Hamilton, Ontario. His mother, Sharlene worked as an overhead crane operator at a Dofasco steel mill when she became pregnant at 20. His biological father had no interest in raising a child, and abandoned them. In 1984, Sharlene met Paul Emery whom she married in 1986. Raymond was adopted by Paul and took his surname shortly afterward. In hockey, he originally played as a defenceman, but switched to goaltender at nine years old due to a shortage of goaltenders in his league. after unsuccessfully trying out for eight different junior teams. Emery was named the league's Rookie of the Year.
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds drafted Emery in the fifth round of the 1999 OHL Draft.
Emery was suspended twice for on-ice incidents in the same season, once for bumping a referee which resulted in a three-game suspension;
At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, Emery had won nine straight games during the regular season as the back-up to Dominik Hašek. When Hašek injured his groin during the 2006 Winter Olympics, Emery became Ottawa's de facto starter, with Mike Morrison, claimed off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, as Emery's backup. Emery was the starting goaltender for the rest of the season, leading the Senators to the second round of the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs.
After the 2005–06 season, the Senators opted not to bring back Hašek, instead acquiring Martin Gerber to compete with Emery for the starter position. Gerber was the starter at the beginning of the season, but due to his poor play, Emery replaced him in mid-November. On February 10, 2007, Emery was suspended for three games from the NHL for striking Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre in the face with his stick after Lapierre crashed into Emery's net.
Twelve days later, after his suspension had ended, Emery was involved in a fight between the Senators and the Buffalo Sabres. He and Sabres goaltender Martin Biron left their creases to fight each other. After this was finished, Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters grabbed Emery and connected with ten hard punches to the head; Emery did not directly punch Peters.
Prior to the 2007 playoffs, Emery and the Senators won 5–2 against Montreal on March 30, 2007, which was his 100th NHL game. Emery's strong play in the season continued in the playoffs, as the Senators defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres each in five-game series in the first three rounds en route to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since the team was founded in 1992, where the Senators ultimately lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games. He became a restricted free agent after the end of the season and filed for salary arbitration, later agreeing to a three-year deal with the Senators worth million before the hearings were held.
By the pre-season of the 2007–08 campaign, Emery had suffered a wrist injury that limited him to just 40 minutes of the pre-season and forced him to miss several games early in the Senators' season. On April 18, 2008, Murray announced to the media in an end-of-season press conference that Emery would not return to the Senators for the 2008–09 season. On June 20, 2008, Emery was waived by the Senators; he cleared waivers three days later and became a free agent as a result.
Atlant Moscow (2008–2009)
Emery signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Atlant Moscow Oblast of the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on July 9, 2008. After giving up five goals during a game, he chased a trainer who attempted to put a sponsored cap on Emery's head. As a foreign goaltender, Emery was allowed to play in only 65% of his team's 56 regular season games due to rules that encourage the development of Russian goaltenders. He split duties for the season with former Colorado Avalanche goaltender Vitaly Kolesnik and completed the season as a top goaltender in the KHL with a .926 save percentage and a 1.86 GAA.
Philadelphia Flyers (2009–2010)
On June 10, 2009, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they had agreed to terms with Emery on a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. On December 8, Emery was placed on injured reserve to have surgery on a torn muscle in his abdomen. Originally expected to miss about six weeks, the prognosis changed when it was discovered that he had avascular necrosis of the hip. In March 2010, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced that Emery would be out for the remainder of the season due to the diagnosis and that a bone graft would be carried out.
thumb|upright=0.8|Emery facing [[Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin during a shootout in January 2010 as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers]]
Doctors were able to catch the disease before it spread, unlike the case of baseball and American football player Bo Jackson. As a result, in April, doctors announced a successful surgery. Jackson spoke out about Emery, speculating that they were the only two athletes to come back after the disease. Jackson added, "I take my hat off [to him]. I want him to know I am in his corner. It's a lot of hard work. To come back and play, it takes a very, very special and driven person. He's got a different makeup to want to do all the little things he needs to compete on a professional level." Unlike Jackson, who required numerous hip replacements, Emery had the benefit of advancements in modern medicine, undergoing a very specialized and complex procedure that involved removing 13 centimetres from his right fibula, and then grafting it to the femur to re-introduce a proper blood supply to the area. Holmgren said that while the surgery went better than expected, he did not know exactly how long Emery's recovery would take.
On July 1, Emery became an unrestricted free agent as his injury deemed him unable to play until he recuperated. In August, he was given the go-ahead to begin the grueling and tedious workout and rehabilitation process. In November 2010, TSN visited Emery during an on-ice workout and were surprised to see him get down into the butterfly position and play for the first time since surgery. Emery stated that he did not "care if [he could] walk in seven years", and he "just [wanted] to play". To the surprise of his doctors and trainers, Emery recovered faster than expected. and working with personal trainer Matt Nichol and goalie coach Eli Wilson. According to Wilson, Emery was "as sharp and ready now as he was the summer before Ottawa's Stanley Cup Final run". This later garnered him a nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Anaheim Ducks (2011)
On February 7, 2011, four NHL teams showed interest in signing Emery before he signed a one-year two-way contract with the Anaheim Ducks. He was then assigned to the Syracuse Crunch to begin the standard two-week conditioning AHL stint On February 23, 2011, upon completion of his conditioning stint, Emery was called up to the Ducks. Emery made his Ducks debut on March 11, 2011, to a standing ovation against the Phoenix Coyotes when he replaced goaltender Dan Ellis. Emery won six straight starts to open his Anaheim career, falling one shy of matching the Ducks' record for consecutive wins by a goaltender, held by Guy Hebert. In the week of March 14, Emery was honoured with the NHL's Second Star of the Week after going 2–0–0 with a 0.99 GAA and a .968 save percentage.
Emery led the Ducks into the playoffs, finishing tied for fourth in the league and posting a 7–2–0 record with 2.28 GAA and .926 save percentage in ten regular-season NHL appearances. In April, Emery's comeback was recognized when the Anaheim chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) nominated Emery for the 2011 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The NHL also nominated Emery for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, making him one of three finalists. In April 2012, the Blackhawks signed Emery to a one-year extension worth $1.15 million to keep him with the team into the 2012–13 season. He improved his NHL record to eleven straight wins against the Colorado Avalanche on March 18. Emery went to 12–0–0 in a shutout win against the Calgary Flames, in his 200th NHL start. On April 10, he made franchise history by recording his third shutout in five games, helping him to third in the NHL with a 1.90 GAA and seventh in save percentage at .924 with a 15–1–0 record. Emery finished the season with a 1.94 GAA, a .922 save percentage, and 17 wins with only one loss. He won his first Stanley Cup when the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final in six games.
Return to Philadelphia (2013–2015)
On July 5, 2013, Emery signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers worth $1.65 million. With the Flyers, Emery served as the backup to regular goaltender Steve Mason. On November 1, Emery participated in a brawl against the Capitals, fighting opposing goaltender Braden Holtby, who was uninterested in fighting. On July 1, 2014, he re-signed for another year in the same role for $1 million. In 31 appearances with the Flyers in the 2014–15 season, Emery had a 10–11–7 record and a 3.06 GAA,
2015–2016
On September 8, 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Emery would be attending training camp on a PTO (professional tryout). In October and November 2015, Emery trained with the Ontario Reign of the AHL, affiliate to the Los Angeles Kings. It was announced on December 18, 2015, that Emery had signed a professional tryout agreement with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL), who are affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Emery was praised for his leadership and mentoring abilities; on January 24, 2016, upon Crawford recording his league-leading seventh shutout of the season with the Blackhawks after a win against the Blues, he credited Emery for turning around his work habits. Crawford stated that Emery's work habits led him to increase his focus and preparation before a game and during practice. "As a goalie, I've never seen a guy be so focused and ready for a game", Crawford said. "I was kind of doing the opposite – being nonchalant and doing other stuff and not having a routine. You get in that physical routine that just makes you ready mentally. You trick yourself into knowing that it's game time and time to play." Kyle Dubas, assistant GM of the Marlies, cited Emery for his mentorship towards the team.
On February 5, 2016, Emery signed with Adler Mannheim of the German elite league Deutsche Eishockey Liga for the remainder of the season, thus ending his professional tryout with the Marlies. On March 29, he signed a tryout contract with the Flyers, and on April 1, the team announced that it had signed Emery for the remainder of the season. At the end of the season, Emery retired from the NHL.
Personal life
Emery was a popular fighter in the NHL because it was rare for a goaltender to fight. Emery was a boxing fan and had images of Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson and the fictional Rocky Balboa on his helmets. In 2008, the media speculated that Emery was involved with a bad crowd and recreational drugs. When asked about this speculation, Emery responded, "I'm not a saint and I'm not in jail, either." At one point, Emery was asked by the team's general manager whether he had a drug problem; Emery responded in the negative.
In January 2009, a video surfaced of Emery trying to chase and punch a team trainer while the trainer was attempting to place a hat on his head in January 2009. In 2011, Emery stated that he had learned from his past mistakes and that he had undergone anger management classes as well as eight weeks of behavioural counselling. On September 18, 2017, Chanté advised TMZ that she went to police seeking a restraining order against Emery. According to TMZ, Emery was arrested for allegedly uttering threats and assaulting her with a weapon.
In February 2008, Ottawa police pulled Emery over. He had allegedly cut off a police cruiser with his Hummer. Police said that he was aggressive with officers. In March 2009, he was charged with stunt driving for allegedly having driven or more over the posted speed limit. Police impounded his Hummer. He appeared on TSN's Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, saying that, at the time, his Hummer had been pulled over at least 30 times.
Death
On July 15, 2018, Emery went swimming with friends at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club in Hamilton, Ontario. He jumped off a boat and friends called emergency services at approximately 6:00 am when he did not resurface. His body was found at about 2:50 pm that same day, about from where he went into the water, according to Hamilton Police, who referred to the incident as a "case of misadventure". The search for Emery took longer than anticipated due to unspecified safety concerns for the dive team before they could enter the water. An autopsy indicated that Emery had drowned, and police concluded their investigation as "non-criminal".
On July 16, Keshia Chanté penned an emotional tribute to Emery, stating that she was "heartbroken" and that he was "a superhero" who was "loving, affectionate, intelligent, hilarious, giving". She also stated that they "may have had differences" but they "forgave each other and continued to love each other right to the very end."
On October 15, 2018, prior to a game against the Dallas Stars, the Senators presented a tribute for Emery. Among those present were his close friend Jason Spezza, who was a teammate in Ottawa and was playing for the Stars at the time, and Chanté, who sang the national anthems.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:75%; text-align:center;"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="10" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"|Regular season
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"|Playoffs
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season
! Team
! League
! GP !! W !! L !! T !! OTL !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV%
! GP !! W !! L !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV%
|-
| 1998–99
| Dunnville Terriers
| NDJCHL
| 22 || 3 || 19 || 0 || — || 1320 || 140 || 0 || 6.36 || —
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1999–2000
| Welland Cougars
| GHL
| 23 || 13 || 10 || 0 || — || 1323 || 62 || 1 || 2.81 || —
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 1999–2000
| Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
| OHL
| 16 || 9 || 3 || 0 || — || 716 || 36 || 1 || 3.02 || .908
| 15 || 8 || 7 || 883 || 33 || 3 || 2.24 || .926
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2000–01
| Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
| OHL
| 52 || 18 || 29 || 2 || — || 2938 || 174 || 1 || 3.55 || .904
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2001–02
| Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
| OHL
| 59 || 33 || 17 || 9 || — || 3477 || 158 || 4 || 2.73 || .914
| 6 || 2 || 4 || 360 || 19 || 1 || 3.16 || .925
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2002–03||Binghamton Senators
| AHL
| 50 || 27 || 17 || 6 || — || 2924 || 118 || 7 || 2.42 || .924
| 14 || 8 || 6 || 848 || 40 || 2 || 2.83 || .912
|-
| 2002–03
| Ottawa Senators
| NHL
| 3 || 1 || 0 || 0 || — || 84 || 2 || 0 || 1.42 || .923
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2003–04
| Binghamton Senators
| AHL
| 53 || 21 || 23 || 7 || — || 3109 || 128 || 3 || 2.47 || .922
| 2 || 0 || 2 || 120 || 6 || 0 || 3.00 || .912
|-
| 2003–04
| Ottawa Senators
| NHL
| 3 || 2 || 0 || 0 || — || 126 || 5 || 0 || 2.38 || .904
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2004–05
| Binghamton Senators
| AHL
| 51 || 28 || 18 || 5 || — || 2993 || 132 || 0 || 2.65 || .910
| 6 || 2 || 4 || 409 || 14 || 0 || 2.05 || .925
|-
| 2005–06
| Ottawa Senators
| NHL
| 39 || 23 || 11 || — || 4 || 2167 || 102 || 3 || 2.82 || .902
| 10 || 5 || 5 || 604 || 29 || 0 || 2.88 || .900
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2006–07
| Ottawa Senators
| NHL
| 58 || 33 || 16 || — || 6 || 3351 || 138 || 5 || 2.47 || .918
| 20 || 13 || 7 || 1,249 || 47 || 3 || 2.26 || .907
|-
| 2007–08
| Ottawa Senators
| NHL
| 31 || 12 || 13 || — || 4 || 1689 || 88 || 0 || 3.13 || .890
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2007–08
| Binghamton Senators
| AHL
| 2 || 1 || 1 || — || 0 || 120 || 6 || 0 || 3.00 || .930
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2008–09
| Atlant Moscow Oblast
| KHL
| 36 || 22 || 8 || — || 0 || 2070 || 73 || 0 || 1.86 || .926
| 7 || 3 || 3 || 419 || 13 || 0 || 1.86 || .941
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2009–10
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 29 || 16 || 11 || — || 1 || 1684 || 74 || 3 || 2.64 || .905
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2009–10
| Adirondack Phantoms
| AHL
| 1 || 0 || 1 || — || 0 || 59 || 2 || 0 || 2.03 || .857
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2010–11
| Syracuse Crunch
| AHL
| 5 || 4 || 1 || — || 0 || 303 || 10 || 0 || 1.98 || .943
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2010–11
| Anaheim Ducks
| NHL
| 10 || 7 || 2 || — || 0 || 527 || 20 || 0 || 2.28 || .926
| 6 || 2 || 3 || 319 || 17 || 0 || 3.19 || .897
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2011–12
| Chicago Blackhawks
| NHL
| 34 || 15 || 9 || — || 4 || 1774 || 83 || 0 || 2.81 || .900
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2012–13||Chicago Blackhawks
| NHL
| 21 || 17 || 1 || — || 0 || 1116 || 36 || 3 || 1.94 || .922
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2013–14
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 28 || 9 || 12 || — || 2 || 1398 || 69 || 2 || 2.96 || .903
| 3 || 1 || 2 || 172 || 10 || 0 || 3.49 || .888
|-
| 2014–15
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 31 || 10 || 11 || — || 7 || 1570 || 80 || 0 || 3.06 || .894
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2015–16
| Ontario Reign
| AHL || 3 || 1 || 1 || — || 1 || 182 || 10 || 0 || 3.30 || .878
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 2015–16
| Toronto Marlies
| AHL
| 3 || 2 || 1 || — || 0 || 178 || 8 || 0 || 2.69 || .897
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2015–16
| Adler Mannheim
| DEL
| 7 || 2 || 5 || — || 0 || 420 || 20 || 0 || 2.86 || .900
| 1 || 0 || 0 || 21 || 3 || 0 || 8.65 || .667
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"| NHL totals
! 287 !! 145 !! 86 !! 0 !! 28 !! 15,488 !! 697 !! 16 !! 2.70 !! .906
! 39 !! 21 !! 17 !! 2,344 !! 103 !! 3 !! 2.64 !! .902
|}
Statistics via Eliteprospects
Awards
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! League/Organization
! Year
|-
| First All–Star Team
| OHL
| 2002
|-
| Goaltender of the Year
| OHL
| 2002
|-
| First All–Star Team
| CHL
| 2002
|-
| Goaltender of the Month (April)
| AHL
| 2005
|-
| William M. Jennings Trophy (with Corey Crawford)
| NHL
| 2013