Price stood tall between the pipes for the Montréal Canadiens for 15 seasons, good and bad, and won just about every award that a goalie could win. His NHL résumé is headlined by his dominant 2014–15 campaign, where he captured the Hart Memorial (MVP), Vezina (Best Goaltender), Ted Lindsay (Most Outstanding Player by NHLPA), and William M. Jennings (fewest goals against, shared with Corey Crawford) trophies.
He later earned the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication in 2022. Additionally, he earned selections to the NHL First All-Star Team (2015), Second All-Star Team (2008), All-Rookie Team (2008), and seven NHL All-Star Games.
The one trophy that eluded Carey Price -- and did so not through any fault of his but the sometime deficiencies of the team in front of him -- was the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the National Hockey League chapionship.
During their most recent deep playoff run in 2021, the Habs won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, the traditional Westsern Conference trophy, for the first and only time in franchise history, because normally les Glorieux play in the East.
However, there was a divisional realignment during the Covid-impacted 2020–21 season, and the NHL replaced the traditional Conference Finals with the Stanley Cup Semifinals. The Eastern-based Canadiens were matched up against the Western-based Vegas Golden Knights and won the series, only to lose the Stanley Cup final series to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Here is what the usually taciturm Carey Price had to say at the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
This weekend, Carey Price opened up about a subject on which he usually maintained radio silence -- his indigenous roots. The opening words of most Hall of Fame plaques mention the team or teams the player played for. But Priceès plaque begins: "A member of the Ulkatcho First Nation in [British Columbia]>
He was asked several times about his indigenous roots, and every time, he gave a similar answer: "l just think it's important that you be proud of yourself and your heritage and to have goals and give everything you have to achieve them."
Price’s pride in his indigenous heritage and his inspiration of First Nations communities everywhere remain one of the biggest impacts he made over his hockey career. When he accepted his Hall of Fame ring, he was interviewed on stage by TSN's Glenn Schiller, who asked how he wants to be remembered by Montreal fans.
He responded, "I think just being a pretty down-to-earth person. I always tried to have positive interactions with fans throughout my career, and I obviously appreciated the support. At the end of the day, I'm a human like everyone else."
That was Carey Price's way of acknowledging his imperfections, a reference to his alcoholism, a problem for many indigenous people which he very publicly decided to fight toward the end of his career.
On that point, he said, "Well, I just think hockey players are idolized. Like, I looked up to hockey players when I was a kid, but I think the most important thing to me to look up to is that I’m not a perfect person. I have faults and I've made mistakes and I've been able to learn from those mistakes and regroup and try and make myself better.'
Price has never wanted to be portrayed as a hero for overcoming his alcohol addiction. But he did want to set an example by asking for help. His answer on how he wants to be remembered in Montreal cemented that.
