The Montreal Canadiens have not won a Stanley Cup since 1993 but have come close a couple of times. One of those times was in 2014, as the Canadiens would sweep the Tampa Bay Lightning and then win a hard-fought seven-game series with the Boston Bruins.
They would then play the New York Rangers in the Conference finals, but their Stanley Cup hopes seemingly were derailed in the second period of Game 1. That play would cost Carey Price the rest of his playoffs, and the Canadiens were unable to overcome his absence as they would lose to the Rangers in six games.
The play in question was when Chris Kreider would slide into Price's knee as he was chasing after a puck on a breakaway. For Montreal, they did their best to remain competitive and, after falling behind 2-0 in the series, would win two of the next three. Dustin Tokarski replaced Price in net after the injury in Game 1 and started four of the final five games in the series. He played well with a save percentage of .916 but he wasn't Carey Price.
Carey Price has forgiven Chris Kreider but most Montreal Canadiens' fans have not
In 2025, Stu Cowan with the Montreal Gazette interviewed Carey Price about this specific play, specifically because of the lingering effects it had on his career. After that, Price dealt with knee injuries that certainly impacted him moving forward, but the goalie noted he has no ill will towards Kreider:
“But, no, 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.”
However, fans are not so quick to forgive as it not only cost their team a chance at a Stanley Cup that season but also probably in future seasons.
Chris Kreider is seemingly always going to have some connection to the Montreal Canadiens. Whether it was this play or the fact that Kreider was selected by the NY Rangers in the 2009 NHL Draft, just one pick after the Canadiens picked Louis Leblanc.
Kreider, now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, will be coming to Montreal on December 10th and this play from the 2014 NHL Playoffs will undoubtedly be in the back of many fans' minds.
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