Man.Utd (SENS#1)

By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun

TORONTO -- All Senators GM John Muckler wants goaltender Ray Emery to worry about is stopping the puck. It has been a season of struggle in Binghamton for the man tabbed to be Ottawa's goaltender of the future, and Muckler isn't sure Emery's head is in the right place as the NHL lockout drags into its third month.

Emery, who was pulled during a 4-2 loss to St. John's on Wednesday in Toronto, sat out the second of this two-game set at Air Canada Centre but is expected to be in the net tonight against the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg.

"His mental attitude isn't very good. He's not focused," said Muckler. "There are a lot of things going through this young man's mind right now (but) everybody else is going through it in the hockey world right now. It's called a lockout.

"There are a lot of concerns (during) a lockout and there's a lot of pressure. Everybody has to learn to handle it.

"What is happening right now is something that is necessary and you have to learn to work through it. Everybody has to do the best job they can under the circumstances."

Emery, who has a mediocre .898 save-percentage with a 5-7 record, admits his head isn't quite in the right place because he thought he'd have the opportunity to battle for a job as the backup in Ottawa this season.

"To be honest (when the NHL is playing) there is definitely added incentive because you want to get to the highest level. That shouldn't be the way it is. We're playing and this should be incentive for us to get better," said Emery.

"What you can't do is beat yourself up about it. What I'm trying to do is work hard in practice and do the things that I know I'm capable of doing. There have been times that maybe I wasn't working hard enough. I'm just trying to get back to playing the way I can."

HAS THE TOOLS

Muckler said Emery has the tools to be an NHLer.

"This is not a question of a lack of talent. As a young goaltender, I really believe he's got a great future ahead of him. What he's going through right now is normal for any goalie to go through," said Muckler.

"What he's got to make sure is that he doesn't give up on himself. Right now, for him, it's more of a mental game. He's got to make sure he works hard to get back on track. We're all trying to stay optimistic that hockey is going to be back soon. You have to accept what's happening and work through it."
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Muckler's right, all the tools are there and he still appears to have a birght future. Having said that he's got to turn things around. I'd give Thompson the start tongiht after a great performace yesterday but on Sunday we should toss Emery back in and see how he does. He usually bounces back well. The major difference from past season is that once he gets back on his feet after a weak game he seems to fall back down again.

Man.Utd (SENS#1)

Off topic but I thought I might aswell post it here with Volchenkov playing in the AHL during the lockout.

Newfie John

Thats an excuse if I ever heard one. There are a lot of other players facing the same situation and aren't playing in the crapper. Tellqvist is an example.

Man.Utd (SENS#1)

"What I'm trying to do is work hard in practice and do the things that I know I'm capable of doing. There have been times that maybe I wasn't working hard enough. I'm just trying to get back to playing the way I can."

Doesn't seem like an excuse to me, he's just telling the truth. The current situation is hard.

Newfie John

Thats not the excuse I was referring to. Blaming the lockout for his bad play when he'd probably not even be in the NHL anyway? Pfft.

Amoroq

Everyone handles stressfull situations differently. I'm not going to judge Emory as it is very difficult circumstances that the 2 way players are dealing with.

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Man.Utd (SENS#1)

Got ya. I don't think he's really blaming the lockout, just saying it's making things harder on him. Whatever though, the bottom line is something is seriously wrong. This is the same guy who was previously among the AHL's best goaltenders and posted some of the best rookie numbers the league has ever see. He didn't look out of place in the NHL either excluding the game where he was thrown in to replace Lalime (granted he wasn't playing strong teams). We want our Emery back! :

The guy knows somthing is wrong with his recent play and is (or so he says) trying to set things straight. Here's hoping he's back to normal soon.

Man.Utd (SENS#1)

That's great of you, Amo. I wouldn't expect any different from one of the most level headed Leafers around.

Still, despite being quite high on the guy, I doubt he handels stress very well. If you've seen much of him over the past few season you'll know what I mean k: Stress has never been a problem actually, just controlling his temper on the ice lol. I assume the two have a link whether it be weak or strong. I guess a doctor would be more qualified to from an opinion here.....

Newfie John

No rebuttle here on that, but I feel he's blaming the lockout. He has issues, every young player deals with them from time to time. Jeesh, when Telly first got here.. man.. :lol:

Its about time Emery has recieved his problems.. if he gets over them though, it will only making him stronger.

Man.Utd (SENS#1)

Yep, luckily he's still only 21 (22 now?) so he has lots of time. I consider him the second best Canadian goalie prospect right now behind only Fleury. Impressive, but great competition from Europe (plus the American Al Montoya) makes him fall down an overall list. I fancy Lehtonen, Montoya, Toivonen, and Bryzgalov more than him not to mention young NHL goalies like Luongo. The terribly underrated Lundvist is not only closing on Emery in my books, but many other goalies aswell. I love that guys game- he could surprise in the future. The above goalies (more or less) all have a few years on Ray though. Goalies develop slowly so my man might soon surpass a few of them.