PRICE HOPES TO RETURN
Habs goalie wants to end ‘frustrating’ season strong
Twice this season, Canadiens goalies have been visibly dazed after taking hard slapshots off the mask. Both times, the Canadiens’ training staff allowed them to stay in the game and both times concussions were later diagnosed.
The first was Al Montoya, who was hit by a shot from the Jets’ Dustin Byfuglien with two minutes remaining in the third period of a game in Winnipeg on Nov. 4. The shot knocked both straps loose on the back of Montoya’s mask but he stayed in the game, which the Canadiens won 5-4 in overtime. Montoya never played again for the Canadiens, missing 17 games with a concussion before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 4.
The second was Carey Price, who was hit by a shot from the Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere in the second period of a game in Philadelphia on Feb. 20. Price stayed in the game, which the Canadiens lost 3-2 in overtime, but hasn’t played since.
Price practised with his teammates for the second straight day Friday in Brossard and afterward spoke with the media for the first time since being concussed.
“I didn’t feel any symptoms until the next morning,” Price said. “I felt pretty normal right up until I woke up.”
Price admitted he felt “a little dazed” after being hit with Gostisbehere’s shot.
“Maybe you can see by the way I was slumping when I got hit,” the goalie said. “I probably wasn’t really normal, but I felt pretty cognitive and felt pretty aware of what just happened. So I decided to continue playing.”
The Canadiens’ medical staff let him continue playing and so did the NHL’s concussion spotter.
“Even a trip to the quiet room’s not going to necessarily improve much,” Price said when asked about the spotter’s job. “Like I said, I felt pretty cognitive and pretty aware and wasn’t feeling any symptoms right off the get-go. So I don’t even know if a test at that time would have proven anything or not. It’s not an easy position to be a spotter. You don’t really know if a guy ’s seriously hurt unless you see his eyes roll back in his head.”
Price hasn’t been given the green light to play yet, but travelled with the Canadiens to Toronto after Friday’s practice. Charlie Lindgren is expected to start in goal Saturday against the Maple Leafs (7 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).
Price said there has been no discussion about him shutting it down for the season with only 11 games left on the schedule for the Canadiens.
“I would like to finish the season strong, obviously, and end it on a positive note,” Price said. “It’s going to be a long summer of preparation.”
When asked if he might play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship, slated for May 4-20 in Denmark, Price said: “I’m not going to talk about that right now. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
This has not been a good season for Price, who has a 15-22-6 record with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. He battled chronic fatigue and had a 3-7-1 record to start the season before missing 10 games with a lower-body injury. He has missed 12 games with the concussion.
“Definitely been a frustrating year for everybody,” he said. “I think a lot of guys learned a lot of lessons this season and definitely have a motivated summer.”
Price will turn 31 on Aug. 16 and begins an eight-year, US$84-million contract next season.
At this point, it would make sense to shut Price down for this season to get prepared mentally and physically for next season. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.