QUICK HITS: JULY 15, 2019
1) Three-stint former Flyers goaltender Ray Emery died in Hamilton, Ontario on Sunday. He drowned in Hamilton Habour at approximately 6 a.m. during a swimming outing with friends at the Hamilton Yacht Club. He did not resurface after going into the water. At 2:50 p.m., his body was recovered. Hamilton police publicly confirmed the drowning victim's identity approximately two hours later. Emery was 35 years old.
Emery had his ups and downs in his personal life but was a well-liked figure among teammates. When he got a second chance in the NHL and then became the first professional athlete to resume a high-level career after being diagnosed with avascular necrosis, Emery was driven to make the most of it.
A two-time finalist for the Masterton Trophy, a Stanley Cup finalist as a young starter for the Ottawa Senators and a Stanley Cup winner as a backup for the Chicago Blackhawks, Emery had an uneven career but a fierce competitor. He spent three stints with the Flyers (2009-10, 2013-14 to 2014-15, and a brief stint at the tail end of the 2015-16 regular season).
Emery got off to a great start to the 2009-10 season before a series of progressively more ominous injuries affected his season and ultimately threatened his career after the avascular hip necrosis was diagnosed. Whether a healthy Emery could have delivered a Stanley Cup in a season in which the Flyers ultimately fell two wins short will never be known.
During the second time around with the Flyers, Emery was a pretty solid technical goalie but his lateral movement could be exploited. Even so, Emery fought for every save. He was also a good goaltending teammate both to his fellow netminders (especially Corey Crawford in Chicago and his first season in tandem with Steve Mason in Philly) and the team as a whole. Emery didn't care about his stats other than wins and losses, and if he wasn't playing, he supported whoever was in goal.
I covered Emery during each of his stints with the Flyers. I never knew him on a personal level. From a professional standpoint, he was always fine if matter-of-fact in my dealings with him. My favorite memory is from Emery's first Flyers stint when the late Joe Frazier visited the Flyers' locker room in Voorhees. It would be an understatement to say that Emery, a huge boxing enthusiast, was excited by the former heavyweight champ's presence. He beamed the entire time.
I last spoke to Emery after a Flyers Alumni team game in Reading. He said he had a great time and hoped to play with the Alumni in future games. Sadly, that was not to be.
Emery had some ongoing ups and down in his personal life after he was out of hockey but he also had many good friends who would have done anything for him. Over the course of this evening, I've spoken or texted with several of his former Flyers teammates and coaches. All are in shock and grief over the news.
On the Flyers' official website, I wrote a
memorial article about Emery's seasons in Philadelphia.
2) On Sunday, while the Charity Classic was ongoing at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers announced three re-signings of restricted free agents. Danick Martel, as reported in the Canadian media earlier in the week, accepted his qualifying offer of a one-year, two-way contract. The arbitration-eligible Taylor Leier agreed to a one-year, one-way contract ($720,000 whether he plays in the NHL or clears waivers and plays in the AHL). Tyrell Goulbourne agreed to a one-year contract as well.
3) Although not yet confirmed by the Flyers as of this writing, there is a report on Twitter than restricted free agent Anthony Stolarz also accepted his qualifying offer from the Flyers. If correct, that leaves Robert Hägg as the sole remaining Flyers RFA.
4) I had a great time at the Charity Classic today, doing the 5k alongside my son Benji, my sister and her family and being Ides of Marsh teammates with my friends and writing colleagues Anthony Mingioni and David Strehle. We also got to play a little street hockey beforhand, which is always fun (except for the poor lady I damn near hit the hit with a shot I was try to put into the top corner and instead sailed right over the net, inflatable boards and about 10 feet beyond at the people milling around. Luckily, she was fine.)
Whatever the place or occasion, it always great catching up with the Flyers Alumni, whether it's the guys I work with all the time (such as Brad Marsh), see regularly (such as Joe Watson, Chris Therien, Paul Holmgren, Brian Propp Bernie Parent or Bob Kelly), periodically (Kerry Huffman, Bernie Parent, Terry Carkner, my Russia trip roomie Dave Culp, Bob Clarke, and Doug Crossman) or rarely (such as Jim Watson). They're a great group of guys and I am a very lucky person to work with the Flyers Alumni Association as well as the Flyers.
I'm also very grateful to everyone who donated to the Charity Classic on my behalf or on behalf of any of the teams and participants. Thank you!
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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