This time last year, the hockey world was wondering who would be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and most were surprised to learn that Shea Weber was getting in on his first year of eligibility. I didn’t think the former Montreal Canadiens was a shoo-in to get in so quickly, mainly because he had never won a Stanley Cup and had never won any of the major individual awards. However, he did receive the Mark Messier NHL Leadership award in 2015-16 (the season immediately preceding his trade to the Habs). However, it’s not the NHL Hall of Fame and international play counts, so his two Olympic gold medals, gold and silver World Championships medals, and World Cup gold did count.
This year, another Hab is eligible for the Hall for the first time: Carey Price. Being officially retired is not a criterion for entry; a player only needs to have not played professional hockey for three years to be eligible. The former face of the franchise last manned the Canadiens’ net on April 29, 2022, in a 10-2 rout of the Florida Panthers’ “C-team”, since the Cats rested most of their regulars.
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As a result, he’s eligible to get the call for the first time this year, like Zdeno Chara, Ryan Getzlaf, and Duncan Keith, to name a few. Like Weber, Price never won hockey’s ultimate prize. He fell short in a Stanley Cup Final loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 playoffs. Still, he had been simply spectacular in the first three rounds, finishing the postseason with a 13-9-0 record, a 2.28 goals-against average, and a .924 save percentage.
In fact, from the 2013-14 season, Price was clutch in the playoffs, posting brilliant numbers and achieving save percentages of .919, .920, .933, .936, and .924, along with goals against averages of 2.36, 2.23, 1.86, 1.78, and 2.28. If the Canadiens never won the Cup with him in net, it was no fault of his own; it was down to Montreal’s anemic offense. Price and the Tricolore might have reached the Cup Final in 2013-14 as well had it not been for the infamous Chris Kreider incident. The goaltender was dominant that year, but when Kreider crashed into him in Game 1 of the Conference Final against the New York Rangers, the Canadiens’ dream of a 25th Stanley Cup came crashing down as well.
From an individual standpoint, Price won every trophy he was up for in 2014-15 netting the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender, the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player for his team, the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed, and the Ted Lindsay Award as the most outstanding player as voted by the members of the NHLPA. In 2021-2022, he was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for his dedication to the game and his perseverance. Price overcame substance abuse with the help of the Player Assistance Program and fought through numerous injuries in his career.
While those were his only individual awards in the league, he was voted as the toughest goaltender to play against in the NHL by the players year after year. He was recognized as one of the most intimidating netminders to play the game. When the NHL held its playoffs following the shortened COVID-19 season and included a preliminary round, no one wanted to be pitted against Price because he could win the series almost on his own, which he did with the Canadiens, eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 3-1 series win.
On the International scene, he won the World Cup, the 2014 Sochi Olympics gold medal, and the 2007 World Junior Championships, going 6-0 with a 1.14 GAA and a .961 SV. In that tournament, he was incredible in a 14-shooter shootout battle with the USA in the semi-final.
In the 15 years that his NHL career lasted, Price led the Canadiens to the playoffs 10 times, a fantastic feat considering the Habs were too often a middle-of-the-pack outfit. He also became the winningest goaltender in the history of the Sainte-Flanelle, posting 361 wins. He’s fifth in team history for GAA with a .917 save percentage and eighth in GAA with a 2.51. While these are not the top marks, he got them while playing 712 games. By comparison, SV leader Ken Dryden finished his career with a .922 SV, but that was across 397 games. Price’s body of work is impressive because he was so good for so long in perhaps the most high-pressure job in the league.
If Weber was granted entry to the Hall of Fame right away, Price should be as well. I will be shocked if he doesn’t get the call on June 24, even though there are plenty of other worthy candidates. I wouldn’t be surprised either if nemesis Chara was also inducted right away, just like former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, who won three Stanley Cups and two Olympic gold medals.
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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