It is no secret that the Montreal Canadiens, one of the most storied NHL franchises, is known for producing Hall of Fame netminders. We are talking about the likes of Gump Worsley, Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden.
When current Canadiens netminder Carey Price was drafted by the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge with the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, all eyes and focus shifted to Price as the next Dryden or Roy in Montreal. Not only is/was that an inordinate amount of pressure for any goaltender on any NHL club, it was also premature as it took Price several seasons to get to where he is now.
While Price posted solid numbers in his rookie year in 2007-08 (24-12-3, 2.56 GAA, .920 save percentage and three shutouts), his next two seasons were far from what the Canadiens’ fans expected. Price was not as confident himself, seemed to lose himself between the pipes and was fighting the puck more often than not.
Then, when the Canadiens made the postseason in 2009-10, Price, 25, was not the starting goaltender. That responsibility went to then back-up goaltender Jarsoslav Halak, who certainly wowed and gained Habs’ fans with his terrific performance.
Surprisingly, Halak was traded in the off-season to the St. Louis Blues, leaving Price with the Canadiens’ net once again. This time around, however, Price would never let go of it.
Since the Halak trade, Price has been a much different goaltender. He has worked harder in the off-season, has made his style more compact, and has played with a confidence level that has not only brought his game to another level, but his teammates have felt that impact as well.
One teammate who notices the differences and sees how Price helps the Canadiens’ is team captain Brian Gionta. Recently, Gionta told Arpon Basu of NHL.com just what Price does for this Canadiens’ team:
“The biggest thing is it keeps us in every game. When we’re struggling in parts of the game, he’s a steady force back there and he allows us to be patient in our game and find it on some nights. When you don’t come out of the gates with it, you’re able to stay patient because he keeps you in it.”
In his first season after the Halak trade, Price posted a career-high 38 wins, had eight shutouts, posted a 2.35 GAA, had a .923 save percentages and was named to the All-Star game. That postseason, Price was just as good in a seven-game series loss to the Boston Bruins.
Price was just as good last season but unfortunately, he was not able to get his team into the playoffs. Despite that, however, Price told Basu that he is still going through the process and is dealing with it much better now than when he did earlier in his career.
“I think I’m mentally getting there,” he said. “There are still things I can improve on, but as you get older you mature, and you kind of grow up a little.”
This season, at least so far, has been another good one for Price. As of this writing, Price is tied for the league lead in wins with six, has a great goals-against average of 1.74 (fourth in the league), and has a more than solid .936 save percentage (fifth in the league).
Price’s strong play over the last few seasons has made him one of the front-runners to be one of the goaltenders for Team Canada in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. While the likes of Roberto Luongo (2010 Winter Olympc gold medal winner with Team Canada in Vancouver), Marc-Andre Fleury, and Cam Ward are also on the short list to be a goaltender for Team Canada, Price deserves a long hard look at being the team’s starter.
With that said, the 2014 Olympics should be far from the minds of both Price and the Canadiens. What matters now is that Price knows his place between the pipes for the Canadiens and that the organization and their fans should know that he is only going to get better and better as each season passes and each year he goes through the process of being an NHL goaltender.
