Reading about what Ray Emery went through following summer hip surgery is enough to make you cringe.

There’s an update on the former Ottawa Senators netminder over at ESPN.com, where Emery tells Pierre LeBrun about the month immediately following a complicated procedure on his ailing hip:

“The doctor was understanding of what I wanted. I told him that I could care less if I can’t walk in five years, but I want just want to play hockey for five years. It was tough. First of all, the pain was pretty wild. I was in a hospital bed for a month in my living room. I pushed the button, rolled myself up and watched TV until 9 p.m. Pushed the button back down and basically passed out for a month. It was like, ‘What’s going on?’” Read the entire article here.

You have to sympathize a little with a guy who seemed to take his talent and career for granted while he was here and is now doing everything he can to hold onto the latter. Sometimes it takes the threat of losing something before you realize just how important it was to you. Here’s hoping he makes it back.