Carey Price: A Champion Both On and Off the Ice

Carey Price: A Champion Both On and Off the Ice

March 8, 2019 Off By Jordan Stoopler

The history of the Montreal Canadiens is a storied one. The franchise, 110 years old, is steeped in history, tradition and success, with 24 Stanley Cup championships and 66 Hall of Famers to its name.

The Canadiens are also synonymous with goaltending excellence. From Georges Vezina and George Hainsworth, to Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy, there have been no shortage of Canadiens netminders who have made a lasting impact on the game. Current Canadiens goaltender Carey Price all but cemented his place amongst such goaltending greats on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

Price recorded his 314th win as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in the Habs’ 3-1 victory over the Kings, putting him in a tie with Plante for the most in franchise history.

It was rather ironic that it came under the bright lights of Hollywood as you would be hard-pressed to find anybody more reticent to the cameras and the spotlight than Price. Although, the way Price has performed throughout the course of his career, it is entirely understandable why all eyes seem to revert back to Price, no matter how unassuming he may be.

Following an impressive junior hockey career, which saw Price earn top goaltending honours in the CHL, a gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships and a Calder Cup title with the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007, Price made his NHL debut on October 10, 2007 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The win in the Steel City was the first of 24 collected during his rookie season. Price was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team at season’s end and propelled the Canadiens into the second round of the playoffs with a game 7 shutout against the rival Boston Bruins.

His career took off from there. Yes, there were some struggles along the way, including being relegated to temporary backup duty with the heroics of Jaroslav Halak during the 2010 playoffs. Price has also not been spared by injuries, suffering most notably from a lower-body injury stemming from a collision with New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider during the 2013 post-season and a knee injury that knocked him out for the majority of the 2015-16 NHL season.

Nevertheless, the highs far outweigh the lows. Who can forget Carey Price’s dominant 2014-15 season, in which he went 44-16-6 to go along with a 1.96 goals-against-average and a .933 save percentage. Price also recorded nine shutouts that year, earning the Hart Trophy as league MVP, Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender, the Ted Lindsay Award as the MVP as voted on by the players, and the Jennings Trophy for having allowed the fewest number of goals.

Price also led Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He won all five games he started, allowing just three goals in the entire tournament. He was named top goaltender of the tournament as a result. Price was also undefeated during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey tournament, leading Canada to a gold medal once more.

Despite Price’s achievement, many contend that his rise to the top of the Canadiens’ wins list still pales in comparison to the careers of Plante and even Roy. Plante played in an era where teams played in 12 less total games (70 vs. the 82 played nowadays). In addition, games during that period ended in ties, (Plante had 107) with no overtime or shootouts introduced until 2005.

Patrick Roy, who sits in third place with 289 wins in a Habs sweater, only played 11 years in Montreal before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. He played his final 7 1/2 seasons in the Mile High City, where he added 262 more wins and 2 Stanley Cups. Had Roy played his entire career in Montreal, chances are he would have set the bar much higher in terms of the total wins in franchise history. Price has also never won a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens, unlike Plante (who won six) and Roy (who won two) with the Habs.

Nevertheless, one cannot take away the magnitude of the accomplishment achieved by Price, especially considering the immense pressure and scrutiny he faces as the starting goaltender in such a passionate and media-frenzied market that is Montreal.

Still only 31 and in the first year of an 8-year, $84 million contract he signed in 2017, Price is in line to shatter the franchise wins record, barring significant injury. There is no reason to believe he won’t, as evidenced by his current stretch in which he has started 14 of the team’s last 15 starts (he appeared in relief in that one game he did not start), winning eight of those starts and allowing just over two goals, on average, per game. With the Canadiens fighting tooth and nail to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs (they currently hold down the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference), one can expect a whole lot more of Price over the final stretch.

His peers also continue to hold Price in high regard, according to a recent player poll conducted by the Athletic.

Price will likely take his first crack at taking over sole possession of first place atop the Canadiens wins list Friday night when the Habs wrap up their California swing in Anaheim.

To Price, however, personal accolades and accomplishments are and always have been secondary to team success as well as family. Price is the father of two young daughters, Liv (born in 2016) and 10-week old Millie with his wife Angela.

Price acts as the national ambassador for for First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities with the Breakfast Club of Canada, a position he has held since August 2014. The organization helps ensure that children receive a healthy morning meal before school. He can also regularly be seen lacing up the skates after practice with Aboriginal children.

His compassion and the true essence of the man, beyond his on-ice performances, can best be summed up by this 98-second video.

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CategoryNHL
TagsCanadiens Carey Price goaltending Habs montreal montreal canadiens nhl Plante Price