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Hockey world reacts to former Blackhawks goaltender Ray Emery’s death

Posted on by Brandon Cain

Retired NHL goaltender Ray Emery, who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2013, drowned in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, on Sunday. He was 35.

Hamilton Police said Emery was identified as the victim of a swimming incident. Emery’s body was recovered before 3 p.m. Sunday. Hamilton Police said a cause of death would be confirmed after a post-mortem.

Emery, who was nicknamed “Razor” for his aggressive playing style between the pipes, played parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago.

Emery joined the Blackhawks on a tryout contract in July 2011 before earning a one-year deal in October. He posted a 15-9-4 record, including a 10-0-3 mark at home, with a 2.81 goals-against average in 34 regular-season games. The Hawks signed him to a one-year extension after the season.

Emery showed why he deserved the $1.15 million deal early with an NHL-record 12 straight wins to start the 2013 season. By the season’s end, Emery had 17 wins and a 1.94 GAA. Emery and fellow netminder Corey Crawford combined to post the best GAA in the NHL to win the William M. Jennings Trophy. The duo would help Chicago win their second Cup in three seasons .

The news of his death felt by former teammates turned friends in the hockey community.

I took this picture of Ray last night at the charity event Hockey Night in Hamilton. I was going to text it to him today and tease him about making a comeback to pro hockey. It was fun to catch up with him last night. I met Razor some years ago early in my career and was briefly his teammate a couple years ago on the Marlies. I always thought Ray was a kind soul deep down and we had a few conversations over the years and connected on some things about life other than playing hockey. It was great to see the smiles on everyone’s face last night as Ray entertained with some great saves and signed autographs. He was in great spirits all night and was telling a friend and myself that he was starting to feel better after retiring as he was getting involved in some real estate ventures and coaching goaltenders. It’s crazy to think he’s no longer with us in body, but his spirit will live on. It’s important to cherish our lives moment to moment. Rest In Peace Razor. 🙏

A post shared by Rich Clune (@richclune) on

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