Sunday was a special night for Carey Price as he tied the Montreal Canadiens franchise record for most games played as a goaltender set by Jacques Plante.
When it comes to going through adversity, Carey Price is one of the players on the Montreal Canadiens who fit the bill. Multiple events this season kept him from being at his best, and in many ways, the team were worse off for it.
Although fans have already turned their sights to the NHL Entry Draft and Free Agency, there are still things in the regular season to track. Besides the progress of the younger players on the roster, individual milestones have been something to pay attention to as well.
For example, it was great to see Brendan Gallagher hit 30 goals for the first time in his career. Additionally, Alex Galchenyuk and Jeff Petry are among other players on the Montreal Canadiens having career years. Price hit a special marker going into Sunday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils which had him tie the number for most games played in the organization as a goaltender.
Habs legend Jacques Plante was previously the sole owner of first, but it will most likely be Price’s spot to hold. It’s pretty special company for the 30-year-old to be in considering the career that Plante had. Seven Vezina Trophies and six Stanley Cups, all with the Montreal Canadiens, speaks for itself.
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Price doesn’t have that much silver to his name, but no one can forget the incredible 2014/15 season he had. A .933 save percentage and 44-16-5 record propelled him to win the Hart, Vezina, Ted Lindsay, and Jennings trophies that year. Unfortunately, Price hasn’t had the opportunity to raise the Stanely Cup, but he still has time to get to that grand stage.
Now that first all-time in games played is locked up, what’s next? The next milestone for Price will be most wins in franchise history, a record also held by Plante. Price is currently third with 286. Seeing as how there are only three games left in the season, Plante’s top spot will have to wait until next year. However, Price has a chance to tie Patrick Roy who has a total of 289 wins with the Montreal Canadiens.
Some hockey minds were cautious about projecting Price when the Habs took him fifth overall in 2005. Taking goaltenders that high is risky at times, but seeing the career, the BC native has had proved that the Habs made the right decision. As he’s about to begin a new eight-year extension with the team, the only direction for Price should be up. Hopefully, he’ll have the right support to facilitate that.
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