Video: Ray Emery’s goof leads to center-ice goal for Matt Cooke

Yahoo! Sports

Sat Oct 01 09:45am EDT

Video: Ray Emery’s goof leads to center-ice goal for Matt Cooke

Plenty has been said about Ray Emery (notes) during his NHL (and brief KHL) career, but allow us to add another accusation to the chorus: He's probably a terrible air hockey player.

Look at the angle on this clearing attempt off the boards and the way he leaves the goal vulnerable for a Matt Cooke (notes) shot from center ice; anyone that's spent more than a minute in boardwalk arcade knows you don't do that …

That's the wickedest shot we've seen Cooke deliver that didn't end up in a phone hearing with the NHL.

Boy, you don't often see 100-foot goals that go through two players. Here's Emery via the Sun-Times on the one-he'd-like-to-get-back:

"I thought their guy was going to beat our guy so I tried to get out and rip it down the boards, but it started going funny on me and he turned around and hammered it pretty quick," said Emery, who saw Cooke's shot bounce over his stick. "I've got to rip it a bit hard or find an open guy. It's a funny play."

Sure was. Friday night's contest was a critical one for Emery, who is locked in preseason battle with Alexander Salak (notes) for the backup job to Corey Crawford (notes). Coach Joel Quenneville called Emery's 15 saves on 18 shots "OK" in the Blackhawks' 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times thinks the Blackhawks would prefer a veteran like Emery in back of Crawford, but Salak has outplayed him in a close competition.

Hey, if it's a veteran you want … better snatch up old friend Marty Turco before someone else does!