To know Ray Emery is to truly love Ray Emery, both as a human being and as a professional athlete. To say that Emery has faced considerable odds to be the starting goaltender of the Philadelphia Flyers is the understatement of the year.

As a black man in an almost completely white sport Emery faced his share of adversity coming up through the junior ranks. While he was universally admired for his superior talents as a goaltender, a string of on and off-ice incidents seemed to plague him in the early part of his junior and professional career.

Emery was drafted 99th by the Ottawa Senators back in 2001 and rose up to take the starting goaltender position. Controversy and fisticuffs with opponents and even teammates ultimately led to the fiery netminder wearing out his welcome in Ottawa. His contract ran out and he wasn’t tendered an offer by an NHL team.

Emery headed east, far east, to the KHL and an unspectacular season with Atlant Moscow. A misunderstanding with Emery’s contract and reduced playing time imposed by KHL rules led to Emery’s return to North America. The Philadelphia Flyers took a chance on the controversial goaltender, signing him to a one-year deal in 2009.

After posting a 2-0 shutout in his return to the NHL, Emery would land on injured reserve in December. After the initial diagnosis of an abdominal injury, it was determined that Emery was also stricken with vascular necrosis, the same ailment that helped end Bo Jackson’s career.

We’ll skip past the rehab and hours of therapy to get to where Emery is now. After a successful return to the NHL with Anaheim and then Chicago, Ray Emery, at age 30, will now face his greatest test: Philadelphia Flyers goaltender. But wait, wasn’t he already in Philly? Yes he was, but his tenure in the city of Brotherly Love was abbreviated by his hip injury.

After a dream season in Chicago that saw him post a 17-1 record with a sub 2.00 goals against average, Ray Emery might finally be ready, and mature enough to handle the job he was born to have. His fondness for boxing (which was reflected in multiple scraps with opponents and teammates alike) certainly endears him to a city that has bronzed fictional pugilist Rocky Balboa. Emery has a tattoo on his right arm that reads “Anger is a Gift”, explaining that if you want something bad enough, you’ll get mad enough to do something about it.

What seemed like a very subtle free agent signing by Paul Holmgren this summer could be the one that save his job and provides a return to the playoffs for the Flyers. Emery oozes style and confidence and Philadelphia is a city that will embrace the passion and aggression that Emery displays on the ice. While it could be considered a product of playing for the best team in hockey, Ray Emery already has a chip on his shoulder to prove to everyone that those gaudy numbers in 2013 are a sign of things to come.

It isn’t often that you can find a professional (or amateur) athlete to root for these days, but Ray Emery is one of those guys that you can’t help but like. Sure he likes to wear the fancy suits and the gaudy chains. His affinity for Lamborghini’s and driving fast is legendary in Ottawa. But Emery is 30 now, and has a greater appreciation for the game that was almost taken away from him.

He’ll always be a fighter, even with the mountain of goalie pads upon him. This time around in Philadelphia he’ll be more inclined to keep his gloves on and show the world what he can do. If ever there was a goaltender made for a city like Philly, Ray Emery is that man.