I’ve heard people asking if there was a possibility that Ray Emery could return to the Flyers next year.  I thought I would shed a little bit of light on the seriousness of his injury and whether Emery even has a future playing professional sports.
Emery suffered a “lower body injury” in November and returned in February.  He played in one Phantoms game and eight Flyers games before re-injuring himself.  It seemed that the first injury was merely a result of a worse condition Рavascular necrosis of the hips.  According to WebMD, avascular necrosis “is a disease resulting from the temporary or permanent loss of the blood supply to the bones.  Without blood, the bone tissue dies and causes the bone to collapse.  If the process involves the bones near a joint, it often leads to collapse of the joint surface.”  If left untreated, severe pain and arthritis is experienced at the bone collapse.
In other words, it’s a condition that may not hinder Emery from living a normal life, but will make it very difficult for the 27-year old to continue as a professional athlete.  One of the most famous instances of avascular necrosis in an athlete was Bo Jackson.  In 1991, Jackson underwent surgery for a hip injury that revealed he had the disease; it ended his football career, but he was able to continue his career in baseball.  Former Boston Bruins center Derek Sanderson also had the disease.
The cause(s) of the disease are unknown, but as far as I have been able to discern, it’s believed that steroid and drug use are related to the condition.  Considering Emery’s history, this sounds about right.  In any case, I would not expect Emery to make a comeback any time soon.  If there’s any organization that likes to give goaltenders second chances though, it’s the Flyers.
