Ray Emery made the most of his tryout opportunity, earning a one year deal with Chicago worth $600,000. The expectation was that the Hawks would build their crease with youth allowing Alexander Salak to hold down the backup job to gain NHL experience behind rising star Corey Crawford while seeing significant game action. Instead, Salak will see plenty of rubber as the starting netminder for AHL affiliate Rockford. Salak signed a one year, two way deal this summer having confidence he would make the club out of training camp. Instead, like most deep franchises, a veteran was brought in to compete and raise the level of competition amongst a group that recently has established itself as an annual Stanley Cup contender, winning the title in 2010.Emery has certainly showed his determination and will after battling back from one of the worst ailments in all of pro sports, avascular necrosis. The condition is a degenerative one that basically kills bone cells due to a lack of blood supply, and is often found in primary joints. In Emery's case, it was his hip, one of the single most important joints of use while executing the goaltending position. The condition is known to destroy that physical ability and shelf life of athletes, as it claimed two sport star Bo Jackson's career in its prime. After the Flyers signed him to a two year deal amidst scrutiny to help build a young core only to have the opportunity marred by the ailment, Emery had no second guesses and insisted that playing hockey was his focus. After multiple negative prognosises, Emery underwent corrective surgery that would see bone from his lower leg graphed and inserted into his hip for support. Following the procedure, Emery teamed with renowned BioSteel trainer Matt Nichol to condition his frame to handle the duty and rigors of being a starting goaltender in the NHL revising his training regimen to increase flexibility through stretching, yoga, and plyometrics.
The move paid dividends as the Anaheim Ducks took a chance with their starter Jonas Hiller sidelined with a horrible case of vertigo during their stretch run playoff push. Emery posted a more than respectable 7-2 record with a 2.28 goals against average to lead the Ducks to the postseason. He also started in all 6 games of their first round series that saw Nashville post their first series victory in franchise history. As a fan, one would have to wonder why it took a tryout contract to land him a job after dispelling all previous notions that he had a poor work ethic.
The road may have not taken the most beautiful scenic route but has ended up in a desirable final destination. Should Crawford experience the dreaded "Sophomore Slump" that many second year goaltenders face (ala Steve Mason), the burden isn't placed upon young Salak's shoulders, rather on the rebuilt hip of a player that was a integral cog in the Ottawa Senators reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 2007. The signing allows Chicago to season Salak with an abundance of game experience in hopes to form a highly potent young goaltending duo in the near future to carry the franchise (example: Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier of Los Angeles) to new heights. With the Hawks not wanting to take the chance of Crawford softening in the pressure cooker and regressing, Emery should see upwards of 30 starts if he doesn't wrestle the number one job away entirely. While the situation could yield great results, this seems to be the same approach the team took when signing Marty Turco last offseason (although Turco was projected to start). Let's hope for Emery's sake that he has an undeniable motivation to resurrect his career while his health seems to be intact and not end up on the midseason free agent list as Turco has seemed to.
-Dustin Lundberg
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