5 Reasons Carey Price Will Win The Hart Trophy

5. Price’s team finished second in the NHL.

The Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders finished ninth and tenth, respectively. While standings are important, they are most important when superiority is established.

Apr 2, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) makes a save against the Washington Capitals during the first period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The Canadiens achieved, and maintained, playoff status throughout the season, while the other two teams made their ways up in the ranking. And yes, while Washington and the Islanders both finished significantly higher than Montreal in goals scored, Price was almost solely responsible for his team’s successes throughout the season, whereas Ovechkin and Tavares share the credit with everyone else on their bench.

4. Carey Price: Record Breaker

Hot off the 2014 Olympics where he helped his team win the gold medal – broke, and set, franchise records in 2014-2015. Here is the list:

• Most games won by a franchise goalie: 44. Previous record holders were hockey greats Jacques Plante, and Ken Dryden – both of whom achieved 42 games won (Plante having done it twice).
  • This was also a League high.
• Price set a new record for straight road wins, having registered 10 wins this season, over the previously held 8 wins – set in 1968-69 by Rogatien Vachon.
• In Game 6 of Round 1, Price faced 43 shots, and posted a shutout. This broke Ken Dryden’s previous record of 37 shots without a goal allowed, set in 1975

Oct 16, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Canadiens former goalie Ken Dryden hands the torch to Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) before the game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

And as he continues into the playoffs, more records may yet be his to achieve.

While Ovechkin had a stellar season, with 53 goals, and was instrumental in helping his team make the playoffs, and Tavares is just a consistently strong player who finished with an incredible 86 points, there are still other reasons to make the case for Price.

3. Stolen Games

Price literally stole games that were as good as lost, throughout the season – including one against the New York Islanders in March. When the team has been down in the 3rd period – on a regular basis, starting from the season’s first week – it has been Price’s acrobatics that helped save goals so that his teammates could recover and generate offense.

When the team was a goal away from a loss, or hanging onto a one-goal lead, Price was the one who was credited with helping the Canadiens win.

Dec 29, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) comes out of the locker room before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Canadiens defeated the Hurricanes 3-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

With his incredible sense of timing, his eye-opening flexibility, his reflexes that defied logic and, as has been described so often, his “standing on his head” to save pucks from going into the net, Carey Price has a highlight reel from 2014-15 that is rich with shining moments from all the games he played.

It was he who not only stole games, but attention from even the results of the game. Win or lose, the story of the game was always how well he had done. But because of his talent, which doesn’t come along every year in hockey, his team benefitted from moving up in the standings – and staying there.

(From that game against the Islanders – a miraculous acrobatics act by Price)

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