With Carey Price less than a week away from officially being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, one of his former competitors and international teammates had nothing but praise for the Montreal Canadiens great.
Sidney Crosby will one day join Price in the Hall of Fame, but for the sake of the game, hopefully that is a couple of years away. The two were in the 2005 draft class, with Crosby drafted first overall and Price selected fifth by the Canadiens. After Crosby’s most recent game against the Canadiens, he spoke about the lasting legacy the legendary netminder left in Montreal.
Crosby understands what Price meant to Montreal
Crosby shows time and time again why he is the ultimate professional and one of the most respected players in the NHL. Despite tying Marcel Dionne for sixth on the NHL's all-time points list in a 5-4 loss to the Canadiens, Crosby took the time to recognize Price.
“A guy that was so good for such a long time. When you get an opportunity to play with guys like that, it's pretty amazing. One of the great things about being able to represent Canada and get a chance to play with other guys, and obviously a guy who's left his mark here and across the NHL. It's just the way he played for so long. Definitely well-deserved. He was just an incredible goalie,” Crosby said postgame when asked about what it was like to play against him and with him on Team Canada.
The two have faced each other 25 times in the regular season, and while Crosby has 13 goals and 30 points in those games, he had to earn every single one of them. Together, they won gold at the 2014 Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The 2014 Olympic team was special, as Team Canada formed one of the greatest teams in history, backstopped by Price, who conceded just three goals the entire tournament.
Crosby mentioned Price’s longevity, being one of the top goalies in the league for a long time, but Habs fans will still feel robbed that he did not get the chance to end his career on his own terms.
Price's international success speaks for itself
Price was a Stanley Cup-winning-calibre goalie. Unfortunately for him, he did not always have a talented roster around him. During his entire career, Price had one teammate eclipse the 80-point mark. That was Alex Kovalev in the 2007-08 season, when he finished with 84 points in 82 games. Most nights, Price had to be at his best for the Canadiens to have a chance to win, which is why his international success shows just how great he really was.
Team Canada was made up of the best players the nation had to offer, but with an extremely talented roster, Price still stood out. During the 2014 Olympic Games, Price had a 0.59 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage. In the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, he had a 1.40 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. He was truly dominant.
Price may never have won a Stanley Cup, but that will not stop him from being regarded as one of the best goalies in NHL history.
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