Carey Price was standing in front of his locker at the Canadiens’ suburban practice facility a little more than seven years ago.
His team had just gone farther in the playoffs than it ever had with Price as the starting goaltender, being eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals by the New York Rangers, except Price wasn’t the starter by the end of the series. He was injured early in the second period of Game 1 when Chris Kreider lost his balance and barreled into Price with 16:45 left to play.
Price knew he was hurt. He knew something was wrong with his knee. But he finished the period anyway.
He played through it.
“It’s the playoffs, man,” Price, standing in front of his locker in early June 2014, said with a laugh when asked why he didn’t take himself out of the game. “At the time, I was just like, ‘Maybe it will go away.’ But it didn’t. It is what it is. Looking back on it, I wish I would have (left the game).
“Sometimes you get hurt and it’s a stinger and it goes away. But after 10 minutes, it didn’t go away, and I knew I was in trouble.”
That quote, that moment from seven years ago immediately came to mind when it was announced Thursday morning that Price had voluntarily entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Because in that one quote, Price revealed a lot about himself. How competitive he is. His drive to win. His willingness to play through pain.
