Carey Price received a rousing standing ovation from Montreal Canadiens fans during player introductions before their home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night.
Price, the storied franchise’s all-time leader in wins, is on the long-term injury reserve with a knee injury and many wonder if they will ever see No. 31 between the pipes again.
Price spoke with The Athletic about his desire to play again and get back on the ice but now understands there a certain risks associated with that idea.
“I go to training camp, right at the start of training camp, and I see all the kids, they’re getting ready. It’s like part of me is still … I still want to win, you know? So there’s a little bit of unfinished business there,” he told The Athletic.
“But I’m also looking at it, like, what kind of damage would I do to my knee if I didn’t do the surgery and I tried to play again? Well, I’ve been told that I can do some pretty serious damage to my knee if I were to do that. And I’m not really looking to have a knee replacement done in five years.”
The Anahim Lake, B.C., native has played 712 career games, amassing a 2.51 goal-against average with a .917 save percentage. Price took home the Vezina Trophy in 2015 as the league’s best goaltender and has four years remaining on his contract worth $10.5 million a year. Against the rival Maple Leafs, Price has a 27-17-5 record.
