Montreal Canadiens: Looking Back at the Greatest Goalies #7
By Austin Owens
Carey Price has been the man in charge of the Montreal Canadiens crease for a decade, and he’s only got greatness ahead of him.
When you think of the Montreal Canadiens, goaltending might not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking back at their history. After all, the talent at other positions could sometimes overshadow the netminders.
But, it is undeniable that the Canadiens have had some outstanding goaltenders don their jersey over the last 108 years.
Today, as the trend has gone for both forwards and defenders, we look at the greatest goaltenders in Montreal Canadiens history. On Friday, we profiled Bill Durnan. Today, we take a look at Carey Price, who is the seventh-best goalie in Canadiens history.
Price has become one of — if not the best — goaltenders in the National Hockey League, and that’s exactly what the Canadiens expected out of the now 30-year-old when they selected him fifth overall in the 2005 NHL Draft.
Not everyone was as sure as Montreal about drafting Price, including Pierre McGuire, who infamously questioned the pick by the Habs during TSN’s coverage of the draft.
Price had a masterful 2004-05 season with the Tri-City Americans. He started 63 games and finished the year with a 2.34 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
He also represented Canada at the U18 World Championships, where he played in four games and won a silver medal.
Price was the starter the next year for Canada at the 2007 World Juniors in Sweden. He started six games in the tournament but will be best remembered for being a part of the marathon shootout against the United States. Although that game was made famous by Jonathan Toews‘ three shootout goals, Price made the final stop of the game on Peter Mueller to help Canada advance to the Gold Medal Game.
Price played his first season with the Canadiens in 2007-08, where he posted a 2.56 GAA and a .920 SV% over 41 games. From there, he’s never looked back.
Over his 10-year career, Price has been an All-Star five times, won both the Hart and Vezina Trophies and won an Olympic Gold Medal with Canada at the 2014 games in Sochi.
The fact that Price is only the seventh goalie on the list speaks to how many great goaltenders came before him. But before his career is over, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him regarded as the greatest goaltender in Canadiens history. With a new eight-year contract set to kick in after this season, Price will have a lot of time to improve on an already impressive resume.
Next: Montreal Canadiens: Michael McCarron’s Off-Season Work
How do you think Price will fare this season? Do you think he can become the greatest Habs goalie of all-time? Let us know your thoughts below!