Cemented into a Senators-Sabres rivalry, Biron says Emery a respected opponent
TORONTO — A decade after an infamous line brawl that included both goaltenders dropping the gloves at centre ice, Martin Biron gave Ray Emery a chance to take one final blow.
Emery declined.
A Buffalo radio station held its annual celebrity roast in February 2017, 10 years after Emery got the better of Biron in a line brawl during the midst of a heated Ottawa Senators-Buffalo Sabres rivalry. Biron even sent Emery a text encouraging him to attend, saying the city of Buffalo would love it, but the retired goalie wouldn’t budge.
“We reached out to Ray to come to Buffalo and take his shots off the ice and Ray was uncomfortable with that,” said Biron. “He was like, ‘Oh no I don’t want people to hate me, it was just a hockey game. I don’t want to speak badly of Buffalo or you.’