Hamilton Bulldogs’ Jason Ward (center) and the Senators’ Dean Melanson mix it up in front of Emery and the Binghamton net during a Hamilton-Binghamton game at Copps Coliseum in January of 2003. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator
Ray Emery (goalie)
Born Sep 28 1982 - Hamilton, ONT
Height 6.01 - Weight 203 - Shoots Left
Nicknames: "Razor" and "Sugar Ray"
Sweater #1
The Goalie:
Ray Emery grew up on a century-old farmhouse in Cayuga, Ontario.
He played many sports other than hockey, including golf,
baseball, and soccer. In ice hockey, he originally played defence,
but switched to goaltender at nine years of age due to a
shortage of goaltenders in his league. Emery, for some time, also
had an ambition to become an architect, before he turned to professional
hockey.
Emery started his junior hockey career in 1998 in Junior C with
the Dunnville Terriers of the OJHL. Despite winning three games
out of 22 played, Emery was named Rookie of the Year. The following
season 1999-99, he split his time between Welland Cougars of
the OHA and the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He went on
to play for two more seasons with the Greyhounds and in his final
season there he really made a name for himself, capturing
a number of awards along the way including the CHL Goaltender
of the year.
Emery was selected by the Ottawa Senators in round 4, #99 overall
in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He began playing for their
farm club in Binghamton in 2002-03 and made the AHL's All-Rookie
team, posting a winning record of 27-17-6 including seven shutouts.
Also that season, he was called up to play for Ottawa for three
games. He played for two more seasons with Binghamton before
finding steady employment in the NHL in the 2005-06 season. His
best season came the second year with Ottawa where he posted
33 regular season victories and an NHL career high of five shutouts.
He then went on to help the Sens reach the Stanley Cup Finals
that spring eventually losing to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.
In his third full season for Ottawa lost the starting job
to Martin Gerber mid-way through the season. On June 20,
2008, Emery was waived by the Ottawa Senators. Three days
later, Emery cleared waivers and became a free agent.
In the summer of 2008, Emery signed a one-year, $2 million contract
with Atlanta Mytishchi in Moscow, Russia, of the new Kontinental
Hockey League.
The Fighter:
Hockey fans and media have dubbed him "Sugar Ray" in
reference to retired boxer Sugar
Ray Robinson and Emery's reputation as a fighter.
Emery fought teammate and heavyweight Brian McGrattan in January,
2008, after bumping
into each other during practice. They collided with one another
as they circled the net during
a skating drill. Emery and McGrattan are good friends and former
roommates, joked about the
fight afterwards and said that they have tangled several times
before. McGrattan also went
on to say that 'if Emery was a position player and not a goalie,
he would rank among the
top 5 fighters in the league'. In 2007, Emery fought Buffalo
Sabres heavyweight Andrew
Peters.
Honours:
* 2007 NHL - Molson Cup Season Winner, Ottawa Senators
* 2006 NHL - Defensive Player of the Month (October, 2006)
* 2005 AHL - Goaltender of the Month (April, 2005)
* 2003 AHL - All-Rookie Team, Binghampton Senators
* 2002 CHL - Goaltender of the Year, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
- OHL (Canadian Major Junior)
* 2002 CHL - First All-Star Team, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
- OHL (Canadian Major Junior)
* 2002 OHL - Goaltender of the Year, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
* 2002 OHL - First All-Star Team, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Personal:
He has numerous tattoos, which include the initials of his parents
and younger brothers and
has an African symbol for the number one, his jersey number with
the Senators, and his
nickname "Razor" written across his chest.
Emery was featured in a TSN broadcast which concerned his wardrobe.
It includes 50 pairs of
shoes, a dozen watches, and a $4000 suit as well as diamond chains.
On January 30, 2006, Emery, an avid boxing fan, wore a mask with
a picture of Mike Tyson
painted on it. The mask attracted controversy due to Tyson's
reputation, notably his past rape
convictions. After speaking to the Senator's management, Emery
decided not to wear the mask
as they both felt it was inappropriate for hockey. He would wear
the Tyson mask for only one
game, a 5–0 loss against the Boston Bruins. During the
2006 NHL playoffs, Emery wore a new
mask featuring Canadian heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo. In
the 2007-2008 season Emery's
mask also featured Muhammad Ali. Emery finished the season of
with Floyd Mayweather on his
mask.
