Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.32

www.afootinthecrease.com

Was it all too soon in Montreal for the heir apparent between the pipes to be given the throne all to himself? When Carey Price broke into the NHL at the beginning of the 2007/2008 season, he did so with an already long list of accomplishments for a very young goaltender, already a national hero for guiding Canada to a World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal in 2006 along with earning AHL playoff MVP honours helping the Hamilton Bulldogs to a Calder Cup Championship after arriving to that team late in the 06/07 season. However despite that gaudy list, it was against the advice of then Head Coach Guy Carbonneau that Price earned a spot with the Canadiens.

Instead it was General Manager Bob Gainey who insisted Price back up Cristobal Huet and for a half season, the arrangement seemed to be working. Huet provided a veteran presence and got the bulk of the work while Price was able to get spot duty, getting is feet wet in the NHL while knowing the fate of the team did not rest on his young shoulders. During that time, Price played quite well. But then with Huet heading toward unrestricted free agency at the end of last season, Gainey took another big leap by trading Huet and handing the goaltending reigns to Price. All of a sudden at just twenty years of age, it was Price’s team.

Scrutinized by millions, Price’s confidence began to slip resulting in a poor first playoff appearance. Following a good start to his second season, Price again began to slide just like his team under the immense expectations of the Habs’ 100th anniversary season culminating with a sweep at the hands of the Boston Bruins with Price booed heavily on home ice.

Has irreparable damage been done to Price’s career? Well we can only wait and find out but if one thing is certain, perhaps Guy Carbonneau was right that a little extra seasoning in the minors might not have been such a bad thing. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.