Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Wayne Scanlan Rips Into “Clown Prince” Emery … Again.


And some of you doubted me when I said that the local media here in Ottawa have an agenda to run Ray Emery out of town. Here's the proof.

Wayne Scanlan decides to keep the blowtorch on Emery, despite the fact that Emery has won two games in a row and has been praised for his recent work habits by both coach John Paddock and captain Daniel Alfredsson.

Scanlan actually calls Emery a “clown prince”, all the while disregarding the fact that same "clown prince" is the only goalie in Senators history to lead the team to the Cup final (with a damaged wrist on top of that).

He weepingly claims that Emery is destroying the reputation of the franchise with fans across the league. With even just the most casual scrutiny, that claim is way overboard and simply not true. In the article he raves about Martin Gerber’s “character” and personality while insinuating without any quote or solid proof that the players all want Gerber in the nets.

Basically, this boils down to a greasy hatchet job that reminds me of something Steve Simmons would write in the virulently nasty Toronto Sun.

Scanlan only grudgingly acknowledges that Emery may be a better money goalie than the mentally fragile Gerber, but he doesn’t let that get in the way of a good smear.

Here’s some of his quotes from todays Citizen piece:

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From the Ottawa Citizen:

Every NHL team has at least one in-house scrap per season. It's when the Emery incidents are connected: the missed flight, the traffic incidents, the poor work habits, the temper flareups, the inappropriate Tyson logo ... that the act wears thin. "

"Suddenly, Emery was making everyone look bad: His general manager, Bryan Murray, for signing him to the deal in good faith, and his coaches and fellow players. He even messed with fans of the team by tarnishing the image of the franchise outside of this region. "

"It sounds good, in theory, to trade the problem child and go to "Gerbs." But there is method in the Senators' madness in these attempts to get Emery back into form.

A) There isn't a deep market in the NHL for a clown prince with a fat contract and an .894 save percentage.”

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I'm not saying Ray Emery is above criticism. Far from it. But when someone like Scanlan writes a piece like this, it's obvious he has a personal agenda against Ray Emery. It's unprofessional, it's crass and it's see-through.

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