Among professional athletes with “baggage” on their resume, Ray Emery is about as high-risk as they come.

 

A scary career-threatening injury? Check. Question marks about his character? Check.

 

His last NHL game? More than a year ago. His first, last and only season as an NHL starter? Try 2006-07.

 

Yes, the Anaheim Ducks are hurting at the goaltender position with All-Star Jonas Hiller bothered by fatigue symptoms – but not that much.

 

By signing Emery to a one-year, two-way contract for the prorated NHL minimum, the Ducks are merely taking a cheap flier on the former Flyer as their number three goalie. If he clears waivers and goes unclaimed by noon today, Emery will be assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League to continue his comeback journey.

 

Ducks general manager Bob Murray said he began looking to bolster the organization's goaltending depth in December, with prospects Timo Pielmeier and J-P Levasseur struggling at Syracuse.

In the meantime, how many goalies of Emery’s caliber were out there?

 

“Well, they’re not,” Murray said. “Ray is a competitor. He always competes when he plays. He has had some problems in the past, but from all of our background work, I think he has grown up a whole bunch in the last couple of years.”

 

After a fairly successful run as the starter in Ottawa – including a trip to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals against the Ducks – Emery was run out of town after he lost his starting job the following season. As chronicled in a Jan. 28, 2008 article in the Montreal Gazette, Emery’s list of misdeeds included “traffic violations, a missed flight during the 2007 playoffs, temper tantrums, tardiness and dismal work ethic.”

 

Since the three-year, $9.5 million contract he signed after the Sens’ run to the Finals, nothing has been handed to Emery. Banished to the KHL for 2008-09, he returned with the Philadelphia Flyers the following season. But after 29 games he was forced to shut down following a diagnosis of avascular necrosis, a condition in which bone cells die due to a lack of blood supply.

The 28-year-old goalie underwent surgery to graft a bone from his lower leg into his hip and has been aggressively rehabilitating since.  

"We’re giving him this opportunity to get his career going again," Murray said. "It’s a win-win here."

Consider it a win for both parties only if Emery stays healthy and happy – whether he's in the NHL or not.

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