No Awards For Price, Please

Carey Price has had an astounding year. In the face of unrelenting adversity, he has not only become one of the NHL’s best goaltenders, but he has all but erased the memory of Jaroslav Halak’s amazing season last year. Fans and media thought early on in the pre-season, after his “Chill Out!” statement, that he was poised for another mental breakdown. It most certainly hasn’t been the case.

And while his stellar netminding has him mentioned for the Hart Trophy, as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, and the Vezina, as best goaltender, I’d like to say, “Thanks, but no thanks,” on behalf of Canadiens’ Nation. I’ll explain why.

Let’s go back to the 2001-2002 season. After the gradual rise to stardom by then Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender Jose Theodore, his amazing season was rewarded with both the Hart and Vezina trophies. Montreal was in shear joy. Finally, after the like of Jocelyn Thibault, a goaltender that was to finally removed to sour taste of the departure of Patrick Roy.

Then, in the summer of 2003, it began to crumble. The media, in it’s ultimate wisdom, found images of Theodore attending a party in a Hell’s Angels bunker. Two years later, police uncovered his father, Ted Nicholas Theodore, implicated in a loan sharking ring, for which he was eventually fined $30000. With all these external factors looming, Theodore’s game began to crumble, until he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2006.

Although the Montreal media has already tried to crack Carey Price’s psyche, with implications of alcohol abuse and womanizing, he has persevered. Last season, this pressure affected his performance on the ice, much as it did Theodore, but with the help of his teammates, he has become a stronger, more confident player. He has learned early on that Montreal can be a great place to play, and has also learned that if you show cracks in your armor, they will go for your jugular.

With these past issues behind him, the last thing he needs right now is more attention, if that’s even fathomable. He is the goaltending sensation of the most storied franchise in hockey history, NHL and beyond. He has beaten the original smearing campaigns of his harshest critics. To give him more accolades would only serve to inspire his naysayers to search for other indiscretions on his part.

As a Habs fan, I hope they give the Vezina to Boston Bruins goalie, Tim Thomas. This way, he can tank again in another post-Vezina season (just kidding…I think.)