Emery just happy to have a chance with Blackhawks

How radical was the hip surgery goaltender Ray Emery underwent in April 2010?

“I think I’m the only professional athlete missing a fibula right now,” Emery said.

He suffered from a hip condition called avascular necrosis, which meant the bone at the head of the femur that fits into his hip was dead because of a lack of blood flow.

Doctors replaced the dead bone in the hip with living bone, taking the middle section of Emery’s fibula in his leg and putting it in his hip, a surgery that lasted six hours and required much cutting of muscle.

Emery didn’t know if he would even be able to walk again, let alone resume his hockey career. Following surgery there was intense pain, no range of motion and difficulty standing up.

But Emery persevered through a grueling rehab with personal trainer Matt Nichol. Not only did he make it all the way back to the NHL with Anaheim late last season, he helped lead the Ducks to the playoffs after Jonas Hiller developed vertigo. Emery went 7-2-0 down the stretch with a .926 save percentage.

Now he finds himself in training camp with the Blackhawks on a tryout basis attempting to win a job as Corey Crawford’s backup.

“They spoke to me and said if I came and proved myself there might be a spot to be had,” said Emery, who was disappointed not to get an offer as an unrestricted free agent. “I was fortunate to get an opportunity here, but I’ll take it and go from there.”

Emery admits there were times following his surgery that he wondered if he would ever get another chance to play in the NHL.

“There was a portion just after surgery where there was a lot of pain and not much light at the end of the tunnel,” Emery said. “But after a month there was gradual improvements and small successes until I came back.

“Each step was exciting, and each step I didn’t know if I could do it. After I accomplished something I was that much more encouraged to continue on to the next step. I’m really excited and fortunate that I got a second chance.”

Emery was in the hospital for a month after surgery and on crutches for five more months.

“Even as recently as January and February before I came back with Anaheim, I had trouble getting up and down stairs,” Emery said. “It’s been slow, but at the same time it’s been exciting. I had a lot of hurdles to clear, but I’m still feeling like there’s more that I can accomplish.”

So far after two days of training-camp scrimmages, Emery has stood out with his quickness and lateral movement.

“I liked him,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “He looks big in the net and composed and confident as well.

“I thought he came in at a real important time in Anaheim’s season last year and did a great job for them. I like his approach going into this camp. We’ll definitely keep an eye on him. We like what we’re seeing.”

Crawford certainly can appreciate what Emery has gone through, knowing how important healthy hips are to goalies.

“Being a goaltender, once you start injuring those areas it’s tough to come back,” Crawford said. “Ray looks good right now. It takes a lot to overcome that and get back into game shape.”

Emery continues to take extra precautions to keep his hip working healthy.

“I do an extra 40-minute warmup,” he said. “I’m in the tub, have acupuncture, take Pilates, because there’s no guarantee with a surgically repaired hip and bone missing out of my leg. There’s a lot of room for error, so I have to do my part to make sure I give myself the best chance.

“I’m really encouraged by how much better my body feels and dedicated to keeping it that way and maintaining my health to stick around the whole year and have a healthy season.”