The Montreal Canadiens' newest member, Chris Kreider, drew mixed reactions when the team announced his signing on Saturday. The issue with Kreider is not his play on the ice. With 348 career goals and 632 career points, he will be a valuable addition to the Canadiens lineup, but his history with the newest Hockey Hall of Famer, Carey Price, leaves a bad taste in some fans' mouths. The injury Price suffered in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, when Kreider crashed the net, started the knee problems that effectively ended the goaltender's career too soon. Habs fans may never forget what Kreider did, but if Price forgave him, the fanbase should too.
Carey Price holds no grudges
“No, I’ve never bumped into him,” said Kreider at the Canadiens charity golf tournament. The answer was not referring to the 2014 incident. Kreider was asked whether he and Price had bumped into each other since the incident. Kreider’s response drew instant laughter from the media members at the event. This was likely not the first time Kreider was asked about Price, and it definitely will not be the last, but after 12 years, it might finally be time for the animosity to be forgotten. At least, if it were up to Price, that would have already happened. “I don’t harbour any animosity towards him. It was just a play and it was the playoffs and it was kind of a quick play. I definitely don’t harbour any ill will towards him,” said Price in a 2025 interview with The Gazette’s Stu Cowan. That is not to say that the feelings you felt on that night in 2014 were not justified, but sometimes you need to forgive and move on.
When the rumours first began to pop up after Kreider’s shocking contract termination, many Habs fans were not open to the idea of burying the hatchet. Now that he has officially signed and will wear the 22 sweater for the Canadiens this season, it may take a little longer to be comfortable with the situation, but one thing is certain: Kreider makes the Canadiens a better hockey team. So much so that president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton, believed he was a perfect fit for the organization. “We weren't expecting him to be available. When he became available, looking at our roster, he would be a good fit for a lot of reasons: size, speed, experience. His playoff record is really good, and I knew he would be a really good fit in the room,” said Gorton. Kreider will help the Canadiens win games, and for such a young roster, the one thing that was missing was a veteran voice in the locker room, and they got that with the former 50-goal scorer.
Kreider hopes for a warm reception at the Bell Centre
Despite the tumultuous history between Kreider and the Canadiens, the franchise’s new winger is hoping for a warm reception in his first game at the Bell Centre. “A passionate one! It's a passionate fanbase; I think they've got long memories- either way I'm going to go out there & work as hard as I can & do whatever it takes to help this team win hockey games,” said Kreider. He knows that some fans may still hold a grudge, but he will let his work ethic and play do the talking, and if he helps the Canadiens win games, the cheers will get louder and louder as the season goes on. Kreider gets what hockey means in Montreal. As he said, “It’s not just a sport here, it’s a religion.”
Everyone in the Canadiens organization seems ecstatic that Kreider is now a Canadiens player, but it is fair to say that head coach Martin St. Louis is the happiest of the bunch. “What do we need? Probably a little more experience, checks that box. A little more sandpaper, checks that box. A net-front guy, checks that box. All these boxes wouldn't matter unless he was a quality human being. It starts with that with Chris,” said St. Louis. This will be the first time St. Louis will be coaching a player he was once teammates with, and Kreider had only great things to say about his former teammate and now coach. “I don't think that I can say that I've learned more from any one individual than the time that I spent playing with him on his line,” said Kreider. Kreider has been saying all the right things, making it crazy not to be excited about him joining the roster.
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