On Monday, the Hockey Hall of Fame will announce its latest crop of inductees, and one former Montreal Canadiens player should keep his phone within reach. Goaltender Carey Price was eligible to enter the Hall last year, but he didn’t get the call then; the selection committee instead opted for Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Joe Thornton, Alexander Mogilny, Brianna Decker, and Jenniffer Botterill on the players’ side and Daniele Sauvageau and Jack Parker on the builders’ side.
While Price’s contract comes to an end this season, he hasn’t made an official retirement announcement, but 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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The goaltending great’s resume leaves little doubt that he should be in the Hall. 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.
The one blemish on his record is that he couldn’t bring a 25th Stanley Cup to Montreal; that wasn’t on him, though. From the 2013-14 season onward, 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. He came up just short in 2021, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the final. 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.
This year, there are a few big names who will be in their first year of eligibility, including Boston Bruins mainstays Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, and Stanley Cup Champions Phil Kessel and Eric Staal. The likes of Rod Brind’Amour, Vincent Damphousse, and Keith Tkachuk are still waiting for their turn as well. The official announcement will take place on Monday, June 22, at 3:00 PM ET. Watch this space to find out if Price made the cut.
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