From 2002-2004, goaltender Ray Emery appeared in just six games for the Ottawa Senators in two combined seasons. It wouldn't be until after the cancellation of the 2004-05 season in which Emery got more playing time in Ottawa.
From 2005-2008, Emery won a combined 68 games in three seasons. Emery's best season came in 2006-07 when he won 33 games while playing in 58 games.
After the 2007-08 season, Emery played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks. However, there is still reason why Emery's legacy could be remembered with a Ring of Honour induction by the Senators.
Emery is the only goaltender to lead Senators to Stanley Cup. Emery's 2007 coach is in Ring of Honour
Being the only one to do something for a franchise can have an edge in the franchise's history. One is Bryan Murray. Although he was fired shortly into his third season as Senators head coach in the 2007-08 season, Murray is the only head coach to lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Murray became the first member inducted into the Senators Ring of Honour in January 2017. Emery is the only goaltender in Senators history to lead the franchise to the Stanley Cup Finals. With Murray in the Ring of Honour as the only head coach in Senators history to lead the franchise to the Stanley Cup Finals, having the only goaltender to lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in the Ring of Honour is with reason.
Emery's 2007 playoff performance was a real reason why the Senators made the Stanley Cup Finals. Emery recorded a .907 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average with three shutouts in the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In the Senators' run to the Cup, Emery help defeat talented teams and outdueled elite goaltenders. In the first round, the Senators eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. Emery outdueled Marc-Andre Fleury in the series, who has the second most wins in NHL history with 575.
In the second round, the Senators upset the second seed New Jersey Devils led by Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur. In the 2006-07 season, Brodeur 48 wins broke the NHL record for wins in a single season, and he finished his career as arguably the best goaltender in NHL history with holding key goaltending records. However, Emery and the Senators upset Brodeur and the Devils in five games.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Senators were matched up with the President's Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres. One of the most memorable moments from the Senators' 2006-07 season came when Ray Murray got involved in two fights in a Senators-Sabres game in February 2007 with Buffalo's Martin Biron and Andrew Peters.
The Sabres had beaten the Senators in round two of the 2006 playoffs, so the Senators were eager for revenge. All eyes were on the Sabres led by elite goaltender Ryan Miller. In 2007, Miller became an All-Star for the first time.
However, just like the other two rounds, Emery and the Senators won the series in five games. Emery outdueled Miller, whose 391 wins are the second most among American goaltenders in NHL history.
Although 2007 ended in heartbreak with the Senators losing the Stanley Cup Finals to the Ducks, the run to the Cup will forever be special in Senators history.
Emery ranks fourth in Senators history with 71 wins and tied for third with Ron Tugnutt in shutouts in franchise history with 13.
On July 15, 2015, the Senators organization was devastated when Emery passed away after a drowning accident. Emery's legacy in Ottawa remains strong with 2007 always being a core memory, and a Ring of Honour induction could be in discussion.