Ex-Hab Carey Price would have loved Canada/USA clash

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MONTREAL — Carey Price was back in one of his old haunts on Saturday.

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He was to play the role of spectator, but all things being equal, he would have rather been between the pipes at the Bell Centre as Team Canada faced its arch-rival Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The former Montreal Canadiens great was forced to walk away from his career at the end of the 2021-22 campaign because of an injury, but that hasn’t put a damper on his hunger.

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If Price were still playing, he would likely have started this pivotal game against the Americans.

“Big moments like this are why you play hockey, right?” Price told Postmedia in an interview on Saturday. “You live for the big moments. I just talked to somebody who asked me what I miss about hockey.

“That nervous energy before games. That’s probably one of the things I miss the most about playing hockey.”

Can you imagine Price in the net for Canada/U.S. in his hockey hometown?

He had so many career highlights in this building and is so beloved in Montreal that it would have been even more special.

That also brings huge pressure, though.

“You kind of have mixed feelings,” Price said. “You have the nervous jitters, but it also makes you feel like you’re alive at the same time.”

What would Price have been thinking if he were sitting in the Canadian team room with Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Drew Doughty, Mitch Marner and the rest of that crop of talent?

“Well, I’d be thinking, ‘Stop the puck,’” Price said with a chuckle. “That’s probably what I’d be thinking. Especially now, more than ever, I’d be focused on the task at hand, but I’d also probably be really enjoying the moment.

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“These don’t come along very often. I’d be soaking it and probably loving it.”

If you listen to Price talk about the game you know why he was such a special player with the Habs. In 712 appearances in his National Hockey League career, he finished with a 361-261-79 record along with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

Price won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in 2014-15, and he led Montreal to the Stanley Cup final held in the bubble in Toronto during the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 campaign. He also received the Ted Lindsay Award as the MVP in 2014-15, with that award voted on by NHL players.

He made his living in Montreal on Saturday nights in his career.

“I don’t think there’s a better place to host a tournament like this. The fans are awesome and there is a lot of excitement in town and you can see it,” Price said. “If you talk to any NHL player, they all love coming here.

“I don’t think there is any better place on earth to host a tournament like this.”

Price is right on that point. There is just something about Montreal and the words to describe it are hard to find.

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“Is just just the passion. People love the Habs. They always have,” Price said. “It’s just bred into this place. And people are very knowledgeable, too. They know what’s going on.

“I talked to a friend of mine. He’s a big fan of the Boston Red Sox. When he goes to a game there, everybody’s watching the game, and everybody knows what’s happening. They’re just not there just to be there. Everybody knows everything. Everybody’s involved. It’s just that passion for the game is what makes it better than everywhere else.”

Price and his wife, Angela, can’t go anywhere in Montreal without being recognized, but says people are also respectful.

“We go out to dinner with my family, everybody’s excited to see you, and that’s awesome. They’re very respectful at the same time, and always really appreciated that,” he said.

Life after hockey has been an adjustment for Price. His No. 1 job now is as husband and father at the couple’s home in Kelowna, B.C. That’s just fine with him. Their two daughters and son are busy with school, gymnastics, soccer and other sports.

“It’s been a couple of years since I stopped playing, I can’t believe how much they’ve grown in such a short period, and how having children gives you a visual of how quickly time is passing by,” Price said. “So being present and being able to be there in the daily aspects of their lives has been a real blessing.”

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Price can picture getting back into hockey, but not right now. He wants to spend some time at home.

“Down the road, for sure, but coaching and all that is time-consuming,” he said. “I don’t even coach my own kids. For the time being, I’m very content with being a dad. In the future, I will probably be getting back into hockey at some point.”

LENDING A HAND

MONTREAL — Carey Price is in town to help raise awareness for the 4 Nations Face-Off 50/50 draw, which was held during Saturday night’s Team Canada game against the United States.

Price is assisting the sponsor — Rogers Communications — with the initiative to raise money for Sun Youth, a Montreal-based organization dedicated to supporting children and families in need.

Rogers, the National Hockey League, NHL Players’ Association made an initial $50,000 donation to the jackpot. All the proceeds go to Sun Youth’s Hockey Development program, which “helps remove financial barriers to hockey” to ensure more kids can play the game.

“Charity work has always been something that I’ve enjoyed doing, whether it’s with the Special Olympics like we do back in Kelowna, when we put the Children’s Foundation in Montreal when I was playing,” Price said.

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“It’s always nice to be able to help out charitable organizations because, at the end of the day, when you show up, people are genuinely excited to see you.”

Rogers also held clinics at the 4 Nations where kids from Sun Youth got to spend time with hockey heroes.

“When it comes down to meeting fans in general, kids especially, you see the genuine excitement in their faces,” he said. “I have three kids of my own, so I understand what it’s like for these kids to get excited. They just generally look at you in awe.

“I remember when I was a kid and having the opportunity to meet hockey players I felt the same way. So I’m just happy to be able to be there and just put a smile on the kids’ faces.”

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