Ex-NHL goalie Emery drowns in Hamilton

It was the 2006-07 season and Senators goalie Ray Emery was off to a great start.

As the NHL All-Star Game approached, he was asked what he planned for the break.

“I’m going bungee jumping in Whistler,” said Emery.

Emery was different. He was a rebel. He was colourful. He was entertaining.

Authorities have confirmed the 35-year old Emery drowned while swimming in Hamilton Harbour shortly after sunrise.

“They went out for a swim and unfortunately he did not emerge after diving in,” police Inspector Marty Schulenberg told The Hamilton Spectator.

The Senators’ fourth round pick (99th overall) of the 2001 entry draft, Emery fought his way into the NHL, both figuratively and literally. In the NHL, he fought three times — including twice during a game against the Buffalo Sabres in which he battled goalie Martin Biron and then, moments later, went toe-to-toe with enforcer Andrew Peters.

Emery also had some shining moments in his seven seasons in Ottawa.

In the spring of 2007, he became the only goalie to ever lead the Senators to an Eastern Conference championship and the Stanley Cup final.

However, the following season he lost the starting job and did not handle the demotion to backup very well. Trying to change the culture of the dressing room, the Senators finally waived him in September of 2009.

After a stint in the KHL, Emery returned to the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009-10. In between minor league stops he also played with the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks, then returned to Philadelphia, where he spent two more seasons. His NHL career ended at 287 games in 2015-16.