Former NHL goaltender drowns in Hamilton
Ray Emery dies during swim at yacht club in what police call ‘a case of misadventure’
HAMILTON— Former NHL goalie Ray Emery died Sunday during an early morning swim at the dock where his friend’s boat was moored at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club.
Police confirmed the body found by divers Sunday afternoon in Hamilton harbour was that of the 35-year-old Stanley Cup-winning goaltender, who played for the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers.
“At this time we do not believe there to be any suspicious or foul play,” said Insp. Marty Schulenberg of the Hamilton Police Service. “We do believe this is a case of misadventure.”
Emery, originally from Cayuga, Ont., had been with a group visiting a friend’s boat when he jumped in the water by the slip where it was docked around 6:20 a.m. It’s not yet known if he went swimming alone or with friends.
“Mr. Emery had gone for a swim and did not surface after he dove in the water,” Schulenberg said. “All of the events leading up to him diving in are still part of our investigation.”
Hamilton police, firefighters and paramedics responded and searched for Emery in the area around the docks and piers.
The Niagara Regional Police dive unit was later called in to recover the body, which was found about 21 metres from where Emery entered the water. An autopsy will be performed on Monday.
Police said Emery had been living in Ancaster. The night before his death, he had played in the Zac Rinaldo charity hockey game in support of Food4Kids in Stoney Creek.
It’s not clear if he spent the night on the boat, which police said is a large vessel with sleeping quarters.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas was one of many in the NHL community to post statements on Twitter offering condolences.
Dubas said he was “fortunate to be around Ray at the very start of his promising career in Sault Ste. Marie, where we drafted him in1999, and then again at the end of his career, when he played for us (in 2015-16) with the Toronto Marlies.”
“Ray’s smile and intelligence made him a magnetic personality,” Dubas said.
The rare goalie who didn’t hesitate to drop his gloves, Emery was involved in many altercations on the ice, including one in 2007 in which he scuffled with Buffalo Sabres goalie Martin Biron.
Biron was also among those mourning Emery. “So sad. Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends,” he wrote on Twitter.
Emery, who started his 11-year NHL career with the Senators in 2002, won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013. His last NHL season was 2014-15 with the Flyers.
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk issued a statement on the team’s website saying, “Ray was instrumental in our run to the 2007 Stanley Cup final, and at his best he brought a competitive edge and combative mentality to the game.”
Melnyk offered his “deepest sympathies” to Emery’s “family, friends and loved ones.”
Years ago, Emery battled avascular necrosis, a disease that caused the deterioration of the ball joint in his hip. He endured a 13-month rehabilitation, where doctors took a piece of bone from his fibula and grafted it onto the femur, restoring proper blood flow.
Emery gained notoriety for the 2007 fight with Biron and Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters. The smile on Emery’s face, seen in a YouTube video with more than half a million views, is still talked about.
“I just love playing,” Emery told the Star in a 2016 interview when he tried out for the Marlies.
“It’s a very comfortable place for me, to come to the rink, to hang out with buddies and suit up for a game. That’s what I do. Wherever it ends … I just want to play as long as I can, and everyone who has played the game will tell you to play as long as you can.”
A Royal Hamilton Yacht Club member who knows the owner of the boat Emery was visiting said a number of the man’s friends were on it over the weekend.
“He had some friends over and they were enjoying the boat and the day,” said Richard Seeley. “He’s pretty upset.”
Seeley said the club is reeling from this new tragedy, which came less than a week after members Carla and Alan Rutherford died in what police said was a deliberately set fire at their home in Dundas. A homicide investigation is underway.
A celebration of life for the Rutherfords was taking place Sunday at the club, while police remained on the scene investigating Emery’s death.
“I’m thinking there has been a lot of tragedy around this club,” said Seeley. “It’s been a really tough week for our club.”
Other members of the tight-knit boat- ing community expressed similar shock.
“Our hearts go out to the people here,” said Karyn Maddeaux from the Fifty Point Yacht Club. “It’s really hard for the boating community in general. It’s very upsetting.”
Club members said people do not normally swim near the slips where the boats are docked.
EMERY from A1