How Canadiens are coping with their free time
MONTREAL With the NHL season and entry draft, scheduled for June in Montreal, suspended because of the COVID-19 crisis, Canadiens players have scattered across North America and a few Habs have taken to social media recently to while away some of this unexpected free time.
Carey Price and his family are in the Tri-cities area of Washington state, which is where his wife Angela Price is originally from. Jeff Petry, who grew up in Farmington Hills, Mich., and his family are at home in Michigan. They have two young boys. Brendan Gallagher is back in Tsawwassen, B.C., south of Vancouver, where he grew up. Shea Weber and his family are still in Montreal.
Angela Price and Julie Petry did a Q&A on Instagram on Wednesday to promote their Chic clothing line and they talked about living through these strange times.
“We can do stuff that adults want to do during our own time,” said Julie Petry. “Because if you don’t have a schedule or some sort of routine, then you really won’t get anything done. I find that my boys love a schedule and actually thrive on it. That’s not to say that it’s going to be perfect all the time because it’s not a guarantee. We’ll throw the ipad at them a lot when we’re just busy or have to get stuff done because it’s not going to be perfect all the time . ... We’re just going to try to make the most of the situation and have as much fun as we can.”
Angela Price said the wives and girlfriends keep in touch, as do the Habs players.
“I know that the girls have a group chat and I know the guys have a group chat where they’re constantly talking to everyone,” said Angela Price. “So we all kind of stay in touch during the summer.”
Many Habs fans might be surprised to hear that Julie Petry says her husband and Carey Price are actually very funny. They’re not known as wisecrackers and Price in particular is famous for his dry deadpan style of talking in public.
“They’re both very soft-spoken but once you get to know them, they’re both shockingly funny,” said Julie Petry.
The Carey and Angela Price Foundation announced on Monday that it is making a $50,000 donation to the Breakfast Club of Canada’s emergency fund to help feed children across Canada during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Prices have been involved with the Breakfast Club of Canada for five years, notably via the Shooting for the Stars project, which allows children from First Nations communities across Canada to take a weeklong trip to Montreal. There’s also an annual fundraiser of the same name in Kelowna, B.C., which has so far raised $820,000 for the Breakfast Club.
Meanwhile, many Habs players were amusing themselves on social media in recent days. On Wednesday, Gallagher took to popular social-media platform Tiktok to do his rendition of the Backstreet Boys’ chestnut I Want It That Way.
On Monday, forward Dale Weise was at his home in the Montreal area answering questions on the official Montreal Canadiens’ Instagram account.
“I am keeping busy by hanging out with my family, a little extra time with my kids,” said Weise on Instagram. “And been playing a lot of mini-sticks, some athome workouts and working on my cooking skills. And a little bit of reading.”
Weise also talked about his favourite songs that he likes to listen to while working out.
“I have a ton of different songs I like to train to,” said Weise. “I don’t really have one favourite. Some days it’s country. Some days it’s rap. Some days it’s heavy metal.
“But Eye of the Tiger always gets me fired up when I need extra motivation.”