Philadelphia Flyers Sign Ray Emery; An Attempt to Revive the Ron Hextall Days

Philadelphia Flyers fans loved goalie Ron Hextall. When the team was down, Hextall was as likely to drop the gloves and start a fight as any forward. Many past clips show Hextall playing the gritty part of the game and not being so nice to the opponents. He had no qualms about shoving, hitting, or meeting the opposing goaltender halfway to duke it out. Hex-tall chants rocked the Spectrum. While Hextall never earned the Stanley Cup with Philly, he did win the Conn-Smythe award despite being on the losing team.

Ray Emery: A Torrid History

Ray Emery is certainly one of the black sheep of the NHL. As a minor league goalie, Emery won many awards and certainly earned his spot in the NHL. But he couldn't keep his personal issues from derailing his career. Last year, he spent hockey season in Russia. The previous year, the Ottawa Senators waived him due to his off-ice antics (alcohol and speeding were involved) and certainly, some of his on-ice bouts as well. Most notably, Emery took on two Buffalo players at once, including Martin Biron, ironically the goal tender that Emery appears to be replacing.

Emery & Philly: A Good Fit - Maybe

Philadelphia Flyer fans have always wanted their players to be tough and give it their all. Emery brings that gritty edge, if he can keep his bad boy behavior under control. For the past two years, the Flyers have had issues with sporting the edge in too many penalty minutes. Certainly younger players and a lack of discipline on their part has inflated that number over previous years. John Stevens will need to keep his finger on the pulse of this new goalie. Emery will need to play smarter than he has in the past both on the ice and off of it. If he does that, the fans will love him as much as they loved Hextall.