Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is starting to face the harsh reality of his career.
The Montreal Canadiens are embarking on their 2022-23 season, once again without Carey Price between the pipes. He has logged 30 games over the last two seasons, and it sounds like it’s going to be quite some time before he gets back on the ice once again.
Editor-in-Chief Arpon Basu of The Athletic Montreal($$) released a piece on Wednesday detailing a tell-all interview with the Montreal Canadiens netminder. For the Habs faithful, it sucks to see the 15-year veteran going through this as his career seemingly slowly comes to a halt.
It’s a fantastic interview where Price tells things like they are. But this information is certainly not reassuring for a return to the ice, instead speaks to the looming thoughts of retirement and his life beyond hockey. Not to spoil the article too much, but Price needs surgery on his knee that he compared to “Tommy John Surgery,” which is common amongst baseball pitchers.
Price details that there is a less than 75% success rate for regular usage of his knee, not manning the blue paint between the pipes for an NHL team. There are a lot of harsh realities in Basu’s piece, and it sounds like it’s a matter of time before the news comes that Price’s time on the ice is going to officially come to an end.
Montreal Canadiens Carey Price’s bleak update may come sooner than expected.
Following this article from Basu, Eric Engels of Sportsnet tweeted that Price is going to meet with the media sometime next week. The expectation is that Carey Price is going to remain around the Habs organization, but retirement is looming, as it has been.
Carey Price will meet the media next week.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 12, 2022
He was in attendance at the Habs season opener and will likely continue to be a part of the Habs organization in whatever capacity he can. Getting him back on the ice is a nearly impossible option. Without a medical miracle or risky gamble, Price’s career on the ice with the Habs is likely coming to a halt.
For the Habs fans, it will be a sad day when Price addresses the media to officially inform of his retirement. But as Price made clear in Basu’s piece, things are more important for him than tending goal in Montreal. He’s going to do what’s best for the future of his life with his family.
It’s not just a knee injury; it’s not just one single surgery holding him back; as Price detailed in Basu’s piece, there is a lot more to it.
The bleak news of retirement could come next week, as it really sounds like Price has reached the end of the road and is just trying to come to grips with it. We will wait until Price meets with the media next week.