Senators to honor Ray Emery during home opener
A beloved player in the nation’s capital will be honored as his former team kicks off its home schedule.
On Thursday night, the Ottawa Senators will host the Philadelphia Flyers in their first home game of the 2026-27 season. Along with the traditional pregame festivities – special video package, full roster introduction, etc. – the Senators will hold a special ceremony honoring the late Ray Emery and his family.
Prior to the start of every season, the Senators ring a ceremonial bell, officially signaling the beginning of the new campaign. This year, Emery’s parents, Paul and Sharlene, as well as his brothers, Andrew and Nick, have been invited to ring the bell.
Emery, who passed away at just 35 years old in a swimming accident in the summer of 2018, burst onto the NHL scene with the Senators coming out of the 2004-05 lockout. After Dominik Hasek infamously got hurt at the 2006 Winter Olympics, a young Emery stepped up, backstopping Ottawa all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, where they fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
The following season, with Emery solidified as the No. 1 netminder, Ottawa tore through the East, winning its first conference championship, earning a spot in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in the modern era. The Sens would ultimately lose to the Anaheim Ducks, but the run made Emery a household name in Ottawa.
In part of five seasons with the Sens, Emery posted a regular-season record of 71-40-14, with a 2.71 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and eight shutouts. He went 18-12 in the postseason in Ottawa, with three shutouts. He ranks sixth in games played (134) with the Sens, fourth in wins, 10th in losses, fifth in SV% and GAA, and tied for sixth in shutouts. His 18 playoff wins rank him third behind Craig Anderson and Patrick Lalime.
Emery did get a chance to lift Lord Stanley. In 2013, he backed up Corey Crawford as the dominant Chicago Blackhawks went on to win the Cup. In 287 regular-season games, which included two stops with the Flyers, Emery had a record of 145-86-28, with a 2.70 GAA, a .906 SV% and 16 shutouts.
