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Canadiens’ Carey Price: Big Winner At NHL Awards

By Lissa Albert |
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Montreal Canadiens’s Carey Price: Big Winner At NHL Awards

The 2015 NHL Awards are over and done, and Montreal Canadiens‘ elite goaltender came out the huge winner of the night. Carey Price was nominated for three awards, and had already won the William Jennings (shared with Chicago’s Corey Crawford) at the end of the season.

The Jennings is awarded to the goaltender who, in at least 25 games in the regular season, allows the fewest goals. While this was an award that had already been announced, Price was presented with the trophy in Vegas.

But the night belonged to Carey Price through and through. Here’s how it played out.

Nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player in regular season – voted upon by players – he won his first of the night, edging fellow nominees Alex Ovechkin and Jamie Benn. This is a big honor, as it was his peers who voted for him. And as written in another post, most of the NHL players interviewed about this award said that Carey Price was their choice.

Still, it was quite a pleasant surprise to hear Carey Price read out as the winner, and it was presented to him by Mr. Lindsay himself.

Ted Lindsay is a hockey legend. A nine-time All-Star, he scored 800 points in his career (playing 1944-1960 when he retired, and 1964-65 when he was given a chance to return and did, to the Red Wings). He is responsible – along with Doug Harvey – for starting the NHL Players Association.

And he was there to present Carey Price with this prestigious award. It was very clear to see the admiration and respect on Price’s face as he accepted the trophy from the man himself.

Price’s acceptance speech was emotion-filled, as he thanked his teammates, his parents and his wife Angela, stating that he was more nervous giving that speech than ever playing a hockey game. He paid extreme tribute to everyone he credited with his success, from the fans in Montreal, the Canadiens organization, and his teammates.

For the record, Price is only the third goalie to win the Lindsay Award, after Mike Liut (1980-81) and Dominik Hasek (1996-97, 1997-98), and the first time in 17 years.

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Jun 24, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; P.K. Subban on the red carper during the 2015 NHL Awards at MGM Grand. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Canadiens were well represented. Though P.K. Subban lost the Norris Trophy to Erik Karlsson, he hosted the backstage segments and reported a few times about what was happening on social media. He’s got a dynamic personality and was well suited for the job. His outfits were also eye-catching, and as usual, Subban’s showmanship added to what was an otherwise lackluster production.

There were some bright spots – Jordyn Leopold – daughter of Minnesota Wild defenseman Jordan Leopold – presented an award with Gary Bettman. Jordyn made instant headlines when she wrote a letter to the GM of the Wild, asking that they speak to the Columbus Blue Jackets (where Leopold played at the time) to arrange a trade with them, as she missed her father. She got her wish and her father was traded.

An incredibly heartfelt and classy segment came when Ottawa Senators fan, Jonathan Pitre, was honored.  Pitre, 14 years old, suffers from a rare skin condition known as epipidermolysis bullosa, and was honored during Round 1 of playoffs at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa.

At the awards, his condition was explained and he was shown in a short filmed segment, after which he was introduced on the stage. Wearing a suit given to him by Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Sidney Crosby, he was then greeted by some of the players from the Senators – including newly presented Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, Daniel Alfredsson, Mark Stone, Andrew Hammond and Cody Ceci and GM Bryan Murray.

He learned that he would be attending the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville and that a sizable donation was being made to DEBRA Canada Organization, an organization that does research into epipidermolysis bullosa.

Erik Karlsson said to Jonathan, “To us you’re a hero.” It was a moment of pure class. And Pitre had no knowledge of this event. As reported in the Ottawa Sun, he stated, “I have no idea what’s going on right now,” before things got underway.

It was another shining moment in the ceremonies. For most of the evening, it was painfully obvious that these awards are not the productions we are used to in the Academy Awards, the Emmy or Grammy Awards, but a sports event.

There were halfhearted attempts to be funny. The best moments came when the athletes accepted their awards. The candor of their speeches, their visible gratitude to the voters.

Carey Price was the star of the night, though.

Halfway through the evening, he was named the winner of the Vezina Trophy – outstanding goaltender. This was not a surprise. In fact, throughout the season, the word “Vezina” was never far from the name “Carey Price.”

The results – released to writers after each award was presented – were almost unanimous. Still, it was a moment of pride for Habs fans watching at home. And Price’s second acceptance speech showed where his heart lies:

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And then, the equivalent of the NHL’s “Best Picture” award, the Hart Trophy, awarded to the player most valuable to his team. Price won that as well.

As it was the end of the evening, he stayed on stage as the credits rolled. This little fist pump was captured and tweeted out:

That is the most self-aggrandizing (if you can call it that) I’ve ever seen Price exhibit!

Some facts about his wins:

It has been a magical season for Carey Price and the Canadiens.

Still, detractors have been out in force on Twitter, practically gloating that the ultimate goal – the Stanley Cup – remains out of this goalie’s reach so far.

While I know it is his ultimate goal, as he has said so many times, only one team wins the Cup. Falling short of that victory, I would say it’s a pretty special accomplishment to win 4 awards in one season, especially one that is voted on by the players you encounter throughout the 82 games of regular season.

I also believe the Stanley Cup is within reach in the very near future. Carey Price is nowhere near finished. In fact, this season, he’s just gotten started.

We, here at A Winning Habit, proudly congratulate Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens for this phenomenal evening of recognition and tribute.

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