Friday, Sep 9, 2022. 07:00
MONTREAL – “Coudonc, is he a Martian? remembers Steve Bégin wondering when he saw Carey Price when he arrived in the NHL.
“It was a little weird to see a youngster arrive without any stress, as if he had been in the NHL for 20 years. It gave us confidence and he got the job done,” added Bégin, who was Price’s teammate in his first two NHL seasons.
If the latest twists raise fears of a fishtail end to his career, Price had had some brilliant professional starts. After playing a key role in winning the Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the spring of 2007, he followed that up with a record of 24 wins, 12 losses and 3 losses in tiebreakers during the 2007-2008 season with Canadians.
The RDS.ca has chosen to leave all the room to seven players to revisit this passage of the goalkeeper who has remained faithful to his roots.
Jonathan Ferland, one of the Bulldogs point guards. “With his presence, you realized that he was someone special. Even us veterans looked at him understanding that wherever he played, he would be the center of the team, the dominant player. »
An arrival creating a stir
Michael Lambert, a Bulldogs forward. “We had very good goalkeepers in Yann Danis and Philippe Sauvé. To our surprise, Carey had started the playoffs even though he was coming out of junior. It was a shock. »
J.Ferland “We were fighting to confirm our place in the playoffs when he arrived (with three games to play). Yann was my roommate and friend so it was a little mourning to do. It was more difficult for him, but he was professional. »
“Philippe Sauvé took care of Carey”
Mathieu Biron, Bulldogs defenseman, with over 250 games of NHL experience. “We knew he had a good reputation, he had just won the World Junior Championship too. We said to ourselves that it was perfect, it was to give him mileage. In the end, he greatly helped the team. Philippe Sauvé, our third goaltender, took care of him like no one else. »
Philippe Sauve who was in the final stretch of his career. “I had a meeting with Don Lever (the head coach) and he asked me to take care of the kid. So I took Carey under my wing and things clicked right from the start. I had a little experience in the NHL and I was a kind of mentor. We had a lot of fun together. He was coming to dinner with my wife and me. I had to start teaching him the life of a professional. We created a beautiful friendship. »
Cuire le steak de Carey
“We cooked his steak for him”
M. Lambert. “Carey didn’t say a word louder than the other, he was even shy. So I was going to knock on his hotel room door ‘What do you want to eat tonight?’ A steak, he replied. Tse, Carey, he’s a cowboy. We would fetch him and cook him. »
Josh Gorges, who became his great friend in Montreal. “We were young and single when we started in Montreal. So we would go out to eat and I don’t think we cooked a meal for two or three years…”
A talent that quickly fascinated
M. Lambert. “It’s thanks to him that we got this cup. It was amazing how comfortable and calm he was. In the semi-finals, we faced Chicago who had one of the best offenses for a long time in the American League. Except that Carey stopped everything! »
J.Ferland. “He had less easy games at the start of the playoffs, but his maturity was already exceptional at this age. […] We understood what the goal of the Canadian was in this story, to develop it quickly. »
Mathieu Biron who had already played with Roberto Luongo, Félix Potvin, Nikolai Khabibulin and Olaf Kolzig. “Each goaltender has a way of stopping the puck just as each scorer has a typical way of scoring. Brett Hull didn’t count his goals like Alex Kovalev. Price, his way of stopping the puck is the skillful way. Kolzig, it was rather through pride. You might see in his eyes that he was angry at the puck. For Luongo, it was the intellectual way. Price, you look at him and you say to yourself: ‘Come on, what is this talent? »
Huge potential, but caution please
J.Gorges. “Of course I knew he was drafted fifth overall and what he did at WJC. But I also knew, following my two years in the NHL, that it is not because you are talented that you will have a magnificent career. It took me two years to really be convinced of what it would become. »
“The middle of Montreal is not made for everyone. Some players feed on that, but a lot of players didn’t find it easy, it was eating them up inside and it ended up ruining their career. We had to see how he was going to handle it all. Especially as a keeper with the past of Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden and company. »
Stephane Robidas who was an adversary. “To arrive in Montreal and put on the skates of Patrick Roy, it takes character. We quickly saw that he remained calm. Whether he loses or wins, you see the same emotion following his match. Like the Patriots jersey that Bill Belichick always wears the same face no matter how he feels. When the Canadian beat Vegas to go to the final, he wasn’t celebrating so much. It was still the first time he made it to the final. You say to yourself, tabarouette…”
S. Bégin. “He was tossed in the mouth of the wolf, so to speak. But very young, we saw that he had great potential. »
Mathieu Biron. “Watching my brother and the other goalkeepers, I was the first to know that it’s not a playoff run that makes your career. I have nothing but good things to say regarding Carey, but we had to wait. There are 8000 factors that can influence the result such as injuries, quality of your team, effort. But, when you looked at him with the eye of a scout, you knew he was an exceptional goalkeeper. »
Price did not master the art of becoming a professional
P. Saved. “The only thing, around 9 p.m. or 9:30 p.m., he took out his panoply of junk food, Rolo, chocolate palettes… At the start, he didn’t have the same physique. Let’s say it was more massive. I told him ‘You can’t eat that, we’re going to bed’. »
Francis Bouillon who was his teammate for two years. “On the personal side, he had a lot of work to do. He arrived a little nonchalant and he had to lose weight to get back into good physical shape. Once it clicked, he realized he might become the best goalkeeper in the world. The part how to become a real pro, he had it more or less at the beginning. »
Price kept his cowboy hat on
S. Bégin. “It’s normal when you arrive very young in Montreal, a jungle. Indeed, he did not escape this, he had a long way to go to become a professional. He was young like everyone else. »
J.Gorges. “He finished his rookie season overweight. When he returned to camp, he had lost almost 35 pounds. I said to myself, ‘Okay, not only does he have the talent and the mentality, but he wants to become an exceptional goalkeeper. »
P. Saved. “I will always remember that Bob Gainey (the general manager) came to see me during the playoffs to find out what I thought of him. I told him ‘You have a Superstar in the making’. »
A cowboy until the end
J.Ferland. “I remember we went to the restaurant and he came in with his cowboy hat. The veterans, we looked at each other and said to each other that it wouldn’t last long, that he was going to have to take it off. But no, it’s been part of him his whole career. »
Mathieu Biron. “When we won the 2007 Calder Cup, let’s say that country fashion in Quebec was not the same thing. It wasn’t cool like today. After our victory, we were going to celebrate and Carey took the time to return to his hotel room to dress up as a cowboy. He didn’t do it to make people laugh or be funny, but simply because he’s a cowboy. »
J.Gorges. “He didn’t feel the need to impress others. He was true to himself and where he came from. Carey was going to be Carey as many youngsters strut around a bit, this is the NHL following all. »
F. Bouillon. “The good comparison for me is Gino Odjick. Instead of wearing a tie, Gino arrived with his bolo. They have a different culture and they assume it. I love that kind of personality. »
Deal with the denigrators
J.Ferland. “When the success of such a popular team depends on a player, it’s normal for the pressure to turn on him when things aren’t going so well. »
“I would have liked to see his exceptional season”
M. Lambert. “He was always my guardian, whenever people put him down I was there to defend him. He led CH to the final with a battered team and also to the semi-finals (in 2014). No matter the sport, there are haters when you’re the star. Especially with the salary he was earning, it’s easy to act like a stage manager. But the team was starting from Carey. There is a thin line between being a hero or not. Winning the cup would have changed so many people’s minds. »
Mathieu Biron. “When you see the unanimity of his teammates and his opponents regarding him, I dare to hope that the players know their hockey. »
“But, for several reasons, I would have liked him to accomplish even more. Yes, we are talking regarding a Stanley Cup, but I think he was not lucky enough to have his big year. Tsé when everything aligns mentally, physically, sportingly, you have the team and everything is going well for you. Due to injuries or background, Carey was not seen in this environment. We mightn’t see the keeper he might have been.
“I wish he might have had this exceptional season that would have silenced his critics forever. It leaves a ‘If ever…’ Cursed that it would have been pleasant to live, we would have talked regarding it for a long time. »
“I would have liked to see what Carey would have become if he had had the chance to have a great mentor for a few years. (Editor’s note: Price was supported by Cristobal Huet, Jaroslav Halak and Alex Auld in his first seasons.)
What legacy does he leave?
J.Gorges. “Yes, he was the goalkeeper for the Canadiens and he is probably perceived a little differently in Montreal, but he was also the goalkeeper for Team Canada. No matter where he goes, people know he’s been important to hockey in this country. I also think of the people in his community, they are inspired by him. He proved to the whole country that no matter where you come from, you can achieve your biggest dreams. »
“When the dust settles in a few years, people will think back to his legacy. He is, without a doubt, the best goalkeeper of his time. We knew he was the backbone of our success. And what he did off the ice is probably just as important. People will realize that he changed lives. »
In retirement, Price wants to be able to play with his children
J.Gorges “You don’t think regarding it in your twenties, but then your perspective isn’t the same. He wants to remain the best, but there must be a quality of life following hockey. A career like his is physically and mentally taxing. As much as he loves hockey, it’s still a game and he knows his family is the most important thing. If this is the end, which I don’t know, I hope he’ll be at peace with it. »
