A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: Who Was Carey Price’s Best Backup?

By Emmanuel D

MONTREAL, QC - DECEMBER 9: Antti Niemi #37 replaces Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens against the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on December 9, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - DECEMBER 9: Antti Niemi #37 replaces Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens against the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on December 9, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Montreal Canadiens
TAMPA, FL – MARCH 31: Antti Niemi Carey Price Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images) /

One player who may not have been given enough of a chance as a full-time backup for Carey Price was Mike Condon. During the disaster that was the 2015-16 season, Mike Condon was thrust into the starting goaltender position in his very first NHL season due to Carey Price due to a detrimental knee injury that kept Price out for a significant period of time.

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The remainder of the team was also plagued with injuries which didn’t make Condon’s rookie season any easier for him. Codon finished his season with a .903 save percentage and a 2.71 GAA. At the start of the 2016-17 season, Condon was placed on waivers and claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins which put an end to his tenure with the Canadiens after failing to impress during the pre-season. This was when the Canadiens opted for Al Montoya.

Al Montoya spent two seasons with the team and posted a satisfactory .912 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA, but in his second season, Montoya only got the chance to play four games with the Canadiens, one of which he let in 10 goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a complete meltdown by the Habs. Montoya was later traded to the Edmonton Oilers. This marked the start of Niemi’s tenure with the team.

In a year where almost nothing seemed to go right for the Montreal Canadiens, Antti Niemi gave it his all in the 2017-18 season to earn a spot with the team and posted a .929 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA. Much of this rejuvenation in his career was credited to the fact that he was reunited with goaltending coach Stéphane Waite. As a result, Niemi earned a one-year extension with the organization but was incredibly inconsistent in the following season.

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