“Gold standard of goaltending” – Goalies talk about legacy Carey Price left behind for NHL net
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Carey Price
Montreal Canadiens top goalie Carey Price recently shared an update about his health. He stated that he isn’t planning to retire from ice yet, but will “hope for a miracle” to put on the gears again. With his unsuccessful rehab from July 2021 knee surgery, the 35-year-old is facing difficulty with day-to-day activity as of now.
Whether he returns or not, his influence on the net can never be forgotten. Though a Habs player, goalies from all around NHL are rooting for the star to shine brightly once again. Each would-be or veteran goalie has shared their thoughts on how Price affected their life till now.
Habs goalie Jake Allen stated, “He was the gold standard of goaltending from when he came into the League until his Stanley Cup (Final) run (in 2021)”. “He was a role model for probably 85 percent of the goalies that started out during that era, especially in Canada.”
“He was the goaltender of our country. Everyone wanted to be Carey Price. So his impact will be felt for many, many years to come.”
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Carter Hart and other NHL goalies talk about Carey Price being their idol
Goalies who aspired the net position looked up to him, and wanted to imitate everything Price did, even getting the same gear or doing warmup routines before a match. He changed the view of NHL goaltending with his effortless, fluid movements.
Philadelphia Flyers Carter Hart’s said he looks up to him and it has been that way since the beginning. He has collected magazines featuring the 2019 Hart Trophy Champion and has securely stored them to date. Carter further exclaimed how he felt the first time he saw Price in front of the net.
Carter noted, “I think every Canadian goalie growing up followed Carey Price”. “He was my idol and I watched everything he did, so I had to be there to watch warmups and see everything, and there were some skating drills he did that of course I started doing in my warmup before practices back in pee wee.”
“There was just something about his game, the way he made it look so effortless and smooth, and I think because of that every young goalie growing up idolized him.” “He changed the way the game is played for goalies”. “Less is more.”
Since April 29, Price is yet to step on ice due to his alleviating knee pain. With the Habs, he has recorded 361 wins, won the Hart Trophy as the MVP in NHL, the Vezina Trophy as League’s best goalie, and the Ted Lindsay Award as the most outstanding player. But these are only a few lists among many of his awards and achievements.
Pittsburg Penguins Casey DeSmith commented, “He had everything: flawless technique, quickness, read the shot well, great reactions”. “When you look at how the game is played now from a goaltending position, so much of it can be traced back to Price. The best goalies in world now, they move like he moved. Everything is clean, hands are quiet, no holes.”
Buffalo Sabres goalie Eric Comrie stated, “When I first saw him play at World Junior [Championship in 2007] it was the first time I’d seen a goalie play that calm and smooth and it was like, ‘How is he doing it? How is he playing the position so much better than everybody else already?'”
“It just looked so calm, and he was so much better than everybody else at that time. Even then I remember thinking, ‘This is the best goalie I’ve ever seen in my life,’ and, ‘This is the guy I want to play like.’
“And I think every kid growing up said, ‘I want to play like Carey Price,’ because he looked so smooth and effortless, and he was always in position. He was the best goalie in the world year after year after year.”
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2140 Articles Published)