WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Imagine you're a kid. Okay. And you just absolutely 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:05.259 love hockey. It is your entire world. Sure. But 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:07.860 there is this massive, I mean, just a massive 00:00:07.860 --> 00:00:10.259 logistical hurdle standing in your way. Which 00:00:10.259 --> 00:00:12.359 is? The nearest organized hockey rink to your 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.339 house is five hours away. Oh, wow. Yeah. Five 00:00:16.339 --> 00:00:19.679 hours, like 320 kilometers away. That is, that's 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:23.420 a commute. Right. So what is your dad's solution 00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:27.170 to this problem? I'm guessing he doesn't just 00:00:27.170 --> 00:00:30.510 buy a minivan. No, no, he does not. He buys an 00:00:30.510 --> 00:00:33.409 airplane. An airplane. A Piper PA -28 Cherokee, 00:00:33.509 --> 00:00:36.880 to be exact. He buys a whole plane. and gets 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:39.119 his pilot's license for the sole purpose of flying 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:41.340 you to hockey practice. Three days a week, right? 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:43.399 Three days a week. It's just, it's a level of 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:45.939 early dedication that is frankly hard to even 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:48.320 comprehend. It really is. Especially for anyone 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:50.619 who grew up just taking a quick five -minute 00:00:50.619 --> 00:00:52.140 drive down the street to the local community 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:54.939 center. Exactly. But for this kid who, spoiler 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:57.700 alert, grew up to be Carey Price, those flights 00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:00.079 were really just the prologue. Yeah, they were. 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.320 And today, we're taking a deep dive into exactly 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:06.030 that. We are looking at a player who would go 00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:08.730 on to become one of the most legendary. And definitely 00:01:08.730 --> 00:01:10.409 one of the most complex. Absolutely. One of the 00:01:10.409 --> 00:01:12.670 most complex goaltenders in modern hockey history. 00:01:12.930 --> 00:01:15.290 And that is the mission of today's Deep Dive. 00:01:15.670 --> 00:01:19.170 We are going to unpack the journey of a player 00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:22.829 who completely redefined what it means to be 00:01:22.829 --> 00:01:26.599 calm under pressure. Because as we sift through 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:28.579 the sources today, and we've got a lot, we've 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:31.120 got comprehensive biographical records, advanced 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:34.659 career stats, deeply personal interviews, we're 00:01:34.659 --> 00:01:37.000 going to see this incredible dual narrative unfold. 00:01:37.379 --> 00:01:39.099 On the ice, he was making the mathematically 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:42.140 impossible look entirely effortless. And off 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:44.180 the ice. Off the ice, he was secretly carrying 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:46.640 the immense, almost crushing weight of an entire 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:50.019 franchise. So we'll trace his path. From those 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:52.120 incredibly remote roots in British Columbia, 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:55.540 through his historic hardware hauls in the NHL, 00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:58.319 that 2014 Olympic gold home. All the way to those 00:01:58.319 --> 00:02:00.640 deeply personal struggles that eventually forced 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:03.299 the entire sports world to just stop and reevaluate 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:05.340 how we view the mental health of professional 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:09.020 athletes. It's a huge story. And that airplane 00:02:09.020 --> 00:02:11.900 commute is honestly the perfect hook. It really 00:02:11.900 --> 00:02:15.300 sets the stage. It does. Because it establishes 00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:18.840 a life defined by this intense, almost isolated 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:21.800 dedication. You know, Price was actually born 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:24.259 in Vancouver. Right. But when he was three, his 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:26.460 family moved to Anaheim Lake, British Columbia. 00:02:26.659 --> 00:02:29.259 Which is incredibly remote. So remote. It's in 00:02:29.259 --> 00:02:31.020 the central part of the province, just totally 00:02:31.020 --> 00:02:33.860 surrounded by wilderness. And that physical isolation 00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:36.379 completely shaped his temperament. It shaped 00:02:36.379 --> 00:02:39.560 his whole identity. Long before he was this... 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:43.560 global hockey icon. He was an avid outdoorsman. 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:47.300 Still is. Exactly. He grew up hunting, fishing, 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:50.139 just navigating the backcountry. And we really 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:51.879 have to talk about his family background here, 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:54.039 too, because it's so foundational to who he is. 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:57.120 Yes, absolutely. His mother, Linda, was actually 00:02:57.120 --> 00:02:59.719 a former chief of the Olcacha First Nation. Which 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:02.000 is an incredible leadership legacy on its own. 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:04.580 And then his father, Jerry. actually had professional 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:07.219 hockey in his blood. Right. Jerry was a goaltender 00:03:07.219 --> 00:03:09.840 himself. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:13.159 back in 1978. So his dad essentially becomes 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:15.939 his first goalie coach. I mean, before they were 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:18.319 even taking that Piper Cherokee to Williams Lake 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:20.840 for organized practice, Jerry was out there teaching 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:23.240 Kerry the fundamentals. On a frozen creek. On 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:25.840 a frozen creek during these harsh winter months. 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.860 So you have this really unique blend. deep indigenous 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:32.280 roots, a professional hockey lineage, and the 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.139 quiet, self -reliant isolation of the Canadian 00:03:35.139 --> 00:03:37.479 wilderness. Which makes his sudden thrust into 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:41.020 the glaring spotlight so dramatic. I mean, let's 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:43.840 fast forward to the 2005 NHL entry draft. Okay, 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:46.840 2005. Price has been playing junior hockey for 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:48.900 the Tri -City Americans in the Western Hockey 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:50.900 League. And the Montreal Canadiens step up to 00:03:50.900 --> 00:03:53.599 the podium and draft him fifth overall. Fifth 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:56.340 overall. I still remember the collective gasp 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.219 from all the analysts when that pick was announced. 00:03:58.460 --> 00:04:01.560 It was a massive shock. Huge, because drafting 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:03.740 a goaltender that high in the first round is 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:06.560 historically just a massive risk. It is. But 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:08.319 the real shock was the Canadiens' death chart 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:10.300 at the time. Right, because Montreal already 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:13.120 had an elite franchise goaltender in Jose Theodore. 00:04:13.530 --> 00:04:16.589 Exactly. Theodore was just three years removed 00:04:16.589 --> 00:04:19.389 from winning the Vizina Trophy for best goalie. 00:04:19.430 --> 00:04:22.149 And the Hart Trophy for league MVP. Right. So 00:04:22.149 --> 00:04:25.110 everyone is wondering, why on earth do you burn 00:04:25.110 --> 00:04:27.990 a fifth overall pick on a goalie when you already 00:04:27.990 --> 00:04:30.689 have the league MVP sitting in your crease? Well, 00:04:30.769 --> 00:04:33.670 it was a massive declaration by Montreal's management. 00:04:33.850 --> 00:04:36.449 They were basically operating on this philosophy 00:04:36.449 --> 00:04:39.889 of positional value versus generational talent 00:04:39.889 --> 00:04:42.480 assessment. Okay, break that down for us. So 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:44.680 the consensus was that price might go somewhere 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:46.779 in the middle of the first round. But selecting 00:04:46.779 --> 00:04:49.879 him at number five meant Montreal's scouts believed 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:53.060 this kid from Anaheim Lake had a technical ceiling 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:55.540 that completely superseded their current roster 00:04:55.540 --> 00:04:57.639 needs. They weren't drafting for the next five 00:04:57.639 --> 00:04:59.819 years. Exactly. They were drafting for the next 00:04:59.819 --> 00:05:02.220 15 years. And he certainly didn't waste any time 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:04.259 justifying that scouting department. Not at all. 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:07.019 After this stellar junior career where he wins 00:05:07.019 --> 00:05:09.800 the CHL Goaltender of the Year, he jumps right 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:12.519 into the professional ranks in 2007. Straight 00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:16.350 into the fire. Literally. He joins the Canadiens' 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:18.620 American Hockey League affiliate. The Hamilton 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:21.360 Bulldogs. Yeah. Right before the start of the 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:23.660 Calder Cup playoffs. Which is wild. Throwing 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:26.060 a teenager into the crucible of the AHL playoffs 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:28.680 is usually a total recipe for shattered confidence. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:31.300 But instead. Instead, he responds by leading 00:05:31.300 --> 00:05:33.939 the Bulldogs to their first ever Calder Cup championship. 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:36.800 They defeated the Hershey Bears. And his stats 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:39.860 were ridiculous. A 2 .06 goals against average, 00:05:40.180 --> 00:05:44.459 a .936 save percentage, and he won the Jack A. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:47.279 Butterfield Trophy as the playoff MVP. As a teenager. 00:05:47.629 --> 00:05:50.009 He became only the third teenage goaltender in 00:05:50.009 --> 00:05:52.610 history to do that. He effectively silenced all 00:05:52.610 --> 00:05:54.490 those draft critics before he even played a full 00:05:54.490 --> 00:05:57.290 82 -game NHL season. But, you know, dominating 00:05:57.290 --> 00:05:59.949 the AHL is one thing. Oh, yeah. Transitioning 00:05:59.949 --> 00:06:02.189 to the NHL and specifically playing in Montreal 00:06:02.189 --> 00:06:04.970 is a totally different beast. It really is. You 00:06:04.970 --> 00:06:06.670 aren't just playing a sport at that point. You 00:06:06.670 --> 00:06:08.810 are carrying the historical weight of the most 00:06:08.810 --> 00:06:11.230 storied franchise in hockey. The Montreal crease 00:06:11.230 --> 00:06:14.029 is often called a graveyard for good goaltenders. 00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:16.509 Because when you put on that sweater, you are 00:06:16.509 --> 00:06:18.889 immediately, immediately measured against the 00:06:18.889 --> 00:06:22.290 ghosts of Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden, Patrick 00:06:22.290 --> 00:06:25.470 Roy. The legend. The absolute legends. The fans, 00:06:25.529 --> 00:06:28.750 the media, the relentless expectations. It requires 00:06:28.750 --> 00:06:30.990 a psychological armor that most players simply 00:06:30.990 --> 00:06:34.110 do not have. And we saw that pressure completely 00:06:34.110 --> 00:06:37.569 boil over in 2009. We did. The Canadians are 00:06:37.569 --> 00:06:39.810 playing their bitter rivals, the Boston Bruins, 00:06:39.910 --> 00:06:43.089 in the playoffs. And it's bad. They are getting 00:06:43.089 --> 00:06:47.069 swept in four games. Ouch. Yeah. And in the final 00:06:47.069 --> 00:06:49.730 game, at home in the Bell Center, Price lets 00:06:49.730 --> 00:06:52.410 in this weak dump -in goal. And the home crowd, 00:06:52.550 --> 00:06:54.430 who are just feeling all the frustration of a 00:06:54.430 --> 00:06:56.430 sweep, they start sarcastically cheering him. 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:58.939 Which for a young player who has basically been 00:06:58.939 --> 00:07:01.480 anointed as the savior of the franchise, hearing 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:04.019 your own building mock you like that is a devastating 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:06.319 blow. And his response to that is what etched 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:08.699 the moment into Montreal lore. He threw his arms 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:10.339 up. He threw his arms up in the air toward the 00:07:10.339 --> 00:07:13.540 crowd. And anyone who knows Canadian's history 00:07:13.540 --> 00:07:16.259 instantly recognizes the weight of that gesture. 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:19.439 It was a direct mirror. Right. He was mirroring 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.720 the infamous mock cheer reaction made by Patrick 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:26.839 Roy back in December 1995. Just days before Roy 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:29.379 literally stormed off the ice and demanded a 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:32.680 trade out of Montreal. So seeing Price do that, 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:34.839 it signaled that the relationship between him 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:37.319 and the city was severely fracturing. Which brings 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:40.240 us to... this massive crossroads in the 2009 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.180 -2010 season. Right. Because Price struggled 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:46.079 mightily that year. He only won 13 games, and 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:48.180 he ultimately lost his starting job to his backup, 00:07:48.379 --> 00:07:51.439 Jaroslav Halak. And Halak didn't just play decently 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.319 in relief. He went on this legendary Cinderella 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:57.120 playoff run. Unbelievable run. He led the eighth 00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:59.139 -seeded Canadians all the way to the Eastern 00:07:59.139 --> 00:08:01.639 Conference finals. They pulled off these massive 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:03.420 upsets against a president's trophy -winning 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:05.939 Washington Capitals team and the defending Stanley 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:08.800 Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. So this creates 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.560 an unprecedented philosophical dilemma for the 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:13.399 front office. I can't even imagine being in that 00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:15.769 room. Right. Because entering the 2010 offseason, 00:08:16.029 --> 00:08:18.550 both Price and Halak are restricted free agents. 00:08:18.790 --> 00:08:21.889 The media is in an absolute frenzy and the fan 00:08:21.889 --> 00:08:24.709 base is fiercely divided. I really don't get 00:08:24.709 --> 00:08:27.110 how management approached this at the time. I 00:08:27.110 --> 00:08:28.569 mean, Halak just took them to the conference 00:08:28.569 --> 00:08:30.870 finals. He was the undisputed hero of the city. 00:08:31.009 --> 00:08:34.409 Yeah. How does the general manager justify trading 00:08:34.409 --> 00:08:37.570 him away and handing the keys back to a guy who 00:08:37.570 --> 00:08:40.090 just... had a miserable season and seems to be 00:08:40.090 --> 00:08:43.149 alienating the fan base. It comes down to short 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:46.129 -term emotional payoff versus long -term foundational 00:08:46.129 --> 00:08:49.889 metrics. Montreal actually traded the playoff 00:08:49.889 --> 00:08:53.870 hero, Halak, to the St. Louis Blues. And then 00:08:53.870 --> 00:08:57.570 they turned around and handed Price a two -year, 00:08:57.669 --> 00:09:01.389 $5 .5 million contract to be their undisputed 00:09:01.389 --> 00:09:04.360 starter. Wow. They essentially looked past the 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:07.379 recent playoff euphoria. They ignored the deafening 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:10.019 noise from the media and they bet their own careers 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:12.960 on Price's raw underlying potential. Because 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:15.039 they thought Halak was maxed out. Exactly. They 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:17.039 believed Halak had played at his absolute ceiling, 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:19.620 whereas Price hadn't even come close to his peak 00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:21.360 yet. You know, if you think about that in the 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:23.600 context of your own career. Yeah. Imagine having 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:27.860 a boss or a mentor who ignores a massive public 00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:30.879 failure of yours, blocks out all the external 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:34.149 criticism. and bets their own job on your raw 00:09:34.149 --> 00:09:36.309 potential anyway. It's incredibly empowering. 00:09:36.669 --> 00:09:39.269 It is, but it also creates an immense underlying 00:09:39.269 --> 00:09:41.730 sense of responsibility to prove them right. 00:09:41.889 --> 00:09:44.009 And Price absolutely took that responsibility. 00:09:44.409 --> 00:09:46.750 He engineered one of the most dominant stretches 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:49.149 of goaltending in the modern era. He really did. 00:09:49.289 --> 00:09:52.649 By the time we reach the 2014 -2015 season, we 00:09:52.649 --> 00:09:54.990 are looking at a player who has reached the absolute 00:09:54.990 --> 00:09:57.730 summit of his profession. The stats from that 00:09:57.730 --> 00:10:01.580 2014 -2015 season? They honestly look like typos. 00:10:01.620 --> 00:10:04.440 They do. He led the entire NHL with 44 wins. 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:08.139 He posted a 1 .96 goals against average and a 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:11.159 .933 save percentage. And the historical significance 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:13.559 of that campaign is staggering. Because when 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:15.360 awards season came around, it was an unprecedented 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.919 sweep. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy for league 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:20.399 MVP. The Vizina Trophy for best goaltender. The 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:22.419 Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:24.600 as voted by his peers. And the William M. Jennings 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:27.019 Trophy for allowing the fewest goals. He was 00:10:27.019 --> 00:10:30.279 the first goaltender in NHL history. to win all 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:32.879 four of those awards in the exact same season. 00:10:32.980 --> 00:10:35.840 First ever. But what's even wilder is that his 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:38.539 dominance wasn't just confined to the NHL. Right. 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:41.740 If we rewind slightly to February of 2014, we 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:43.620 have to talk about the Sochi Winter Olympics. 00:10:43.860 --> 00:10:46.899 The international stats are just absurd. A .59 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:49.779 goals against average across five games. Less 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:51.799 than a goal a game. Barely half a goal a game. 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:54.940 He delivered two consecutive shutouts in the 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:57.700 most high pressure international games imaginable. 00:10:57.860 --> 00:11:01.440 A one nil victory against Team USA in the semifinals 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:05.100 where he stopped all 31. Incredible. And then 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:07.440 a 3 -0 victory against Sweden to win the gold 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:10.759 medal. He went undefeated and was named the tournament's 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:14.120 best goaltender by the IIHF. We throw these numbers 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:16.039 around, but I really want to understand the how. 00:11:16.259 --> 00:11:18.419 Like when you watch his highlight reels from 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:21.399 this era, it isn't like watching a goalie scrambling 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:23.940 or diving all over the crease, making these desperate 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:26.139 paddle saves. No, not at all. It almost looks 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:29.039 boring. Yeah. Best possible way. And that is 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:31.820 the absolute hallmark of his butterfly hybrid 00:11:31.820 --> 00:11:36.009 technique. Price had an elite level of edge control 00:11:36.009 --> 00:11:38.509 and torso tracking. What does that mean in practice? 00:11:38.769 --> 00:11:41.549 So instead of relying purely on athletic reaction 00:11:41.549 --> 00:11:45.929 time, just twitch reflexes, he relied on positional 00:11:45.929 --> 00:11:48.149 economy. Being exactly where he needed to be. 00:11:48.230 --> 00:11:50.429 Right. He utilized techniques like the reverse 00:11:50.429 --> 00:11:53.850 VH perfectly. That's a move where he seals off 00:11:53.850 --> 00:11:56.090 the short side posts while keeping his chest 00:11:56.090 --> 00:11:59.580 totally square to the shooter. He minimized his 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:02.139 movement so drastically that he made highly difficult 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:05.700 acrobatic saves look entirely routine. That's 00:12:05.700 --> 00:12:07.279 like he was doing the math before the shot was 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.019 even taken. Exactly. To make this relatable, 00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:12.899 consider a quote from his 2014 Olympic teammate, 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:15.899 defenseman Drew Dowdy. He called Price probably 00:12:15.899 --> 00:12:18.019 the calmest goalie I played in front of. The 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:20.340 calmest goalie? Yeah. He never looked out of 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:22.779 breath. He never looked panicked. But as we know, 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:25.340 the years following that peak... Took a massive 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:28.379 physical toll. They really did. From 2015 through 00:12:28.379 --> 00:12:31.500 2020, we see this mounting list of lower body 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:34.559 injuries. The wear and tear of that butterfly 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:37.580 style. Dropping onto the ice thousands of times 00:12:37.580 --> 00:12:40.480 a season, it really begins to degrade his knees. 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:44.139 Which brings us to the 2020 -2021 season. And 00:12:44.139 --> 00:12:46.240 this is really the ultimate test of that calm 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:48.179 facade. Right. This is the pandemic -altered 00:12:48.179 --> 00:12:50.480 season. Teams are playing exclusively within 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:52.679 realigned divisions, mostly in empty arenas. 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:55.059 And Price sustained a concussion late in the 00:12:55.059 --> 00:12:57.440 season after a collision. He finished the regular 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:00.720 season with only 12 wins and a fairly underwhelming 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:04.299 .901 save percentage. The Canadians barely squeaked 00:13:04.299 --> 00:13:06.480 into the playoffs as the final seed. But then 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:09.000 the switch flips. The postseason begins and Price 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.500 turns into an absolute wall. Again. Again. The 00:13:12.500 --> 00:13:14.480 Canadiens go on this miraculous Cinderella run. 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:16.940 They overcome a 3 -1 series deficit against the 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:19.240 heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs. They sweep 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.500 the Winnipeg Jets. They beat the Vegas Golden 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:24.559 Knights in six games. Price literally carries 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:26.179 the Montreal Canadiens to their first Stanley 00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:28.980 Cup final in 28 years. And during that run, the 00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:31.139 narrative surrounding him reached a fever pitch. 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.700 The Canadiens general manager at the time, Mark 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:36.519 Bergeman, summarized the hockey world's view 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:39.860 of him perfectly. He said, He's a big game player. 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:43.299 He rises to the occasion. He does extremely well 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:45.379 under pressure. And that is the ultimate compliment 00:13:45.379 --> 00:13:48.500 in sports. Yes. But there is a massive hidden 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:51.600 struggle going on behind that mask. The contrast 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:54.419 between Bergevin's quote and the reality of what 00:13:54.419 --> 00:13:56.100 was happening off the ice is just staggering. 00:13:56.279 --> 00:13:59.299 It really is, because just months after losing 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:01.399 that Stanley Cup final to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:04.340 the hockey world was stunned. In October 2021, 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:06.960 the Canadians announced that Carey Price was 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:10.600 voluntarily entering the. NHL and NHLPA player 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:13.740 assistance program. The player who was the definition 00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:16.340 of calm. The guy who had just put the entire 00:14:16.340 --> 00:14:18.840 franchise on his back had to step away entirely. 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:21.720 And in a 2022 interview with The Athletic, Price 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:23.899 was incredibly courageous in explaining why. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:26.639 He was. He opened up about his admission to the 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.299 residential treatment facility and revealed that 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:32.019 he was dealing with alcoholism. He admitted he 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:34.080 had turned to substance abuse as an escape from 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:35.820 the immense stresses of being a professional 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:38.409 athlete. And we really have to layer the context 00:14:38.409 --> 00:14:41.570 of that stress. Please do. It wasn't just the 00:14:41.570 --> 00:14:43.629 ambient pressure of playing in Montreal, which 00:14:43.629 --> 00:14:46.669 we've established is immense. Right. It was compounded 00:14:46.669 --> 00:14:49.870 by the devastating loss in the cup final. It 00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:52.389 was compounded by the severe career threatening 00:14:52.389 --> 00:14:55.230 knee injuries he was constantly rehabbing and 00:14:55.230 --> 00:14:58.190 the intense isolation caused by the strict COVID 00:14:58.190 --> 00:15:01.950 -19 pandemic restrictions in Canada. He candidly 00:15:01.950 --> 00:15:04.490 stated he had spent years of neglecting his own 00:15:04.490 --> 00:15:07.830 mental health. Yes. And the trap of the calm 00:15:07.830 --> 00:15:10.490 under pressure label is just so profound here. 00:15:10.570 --> 00:15:13.009 It really is. It's meant as high praise, but 00:15:13.009 --> 00:15:16.330 it becomes a prison. If everyone around you expects 00:15:16.330 --> 00:15:19.710 you to be the unshakable foundation, how incredibly 00:15:19.710 --> 00:15:21.690 difficult does it become to raise your hand and 00:15:21.690 --> 00:15:24.429 say, I am not okay. I need help. And what makes 00:15:24.429 --> 00:15:26.970 his transparency so impactful is the specific 00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:30.190 cultural context he brought to it. How so? Well, 00:15:30.350 --> 00:15:32.070 he could have kept the details of his treatment 00:15:32.070 --> 00:15:34.769 private. A lot of players do. But he specifically 00:15:34.769 --> 00:15:37.309 cited the severity of substance abuse issues 00:15:37.309 --> 00:15:40.210 within the indigenous community. He wanted his 00:15:40.210 --> 00:15:43.450 voluntary entry into rehab to serve as an example, 00:15:43.710 --> 00:15:46.649 showing people that in his own words, it's OK 00:15:46.649 --> 00:15:49.860 to ask for help. That is powerful. But physically, 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.919 his body was trapped as well. It was. Following 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:55.179 his departure from the program, he embarked on 00:15:55.179 --> 00:15:58.120 this extended rehabilitation for his knee, but 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:01.940 it involved multiple brutal setbacks. He finally 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:05.360 made a brief return in April 2022. Right. He 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:07.360 played the final game of the season, securing 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:10.200 a 10 -2 win over the Florida Panthers. But the 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:13.789 physical toll was just too severe. By 2023, he 00:16:13.789 --> 00:16:16.230 admitted it would take a miracle for him to ever 00:16:16.230 --> 00:16:18.590 play again. Which is such a tough reality to 00:16:18.590 --> 00:16:21.350 face. But he was very pragmatic about it. He 00:16:21.350 --> 00:16:23.450 revealed that his knee would swell up under even 00:16:23.450 --> 00:16:25.970 minimal strain. It simply could not withstand 00:16:25.970 --> 00:16:28.409 the workload of an NHL season. Well, he shifted 00:16:28.409 --> 00:16:30.990 his priorities. He shifted his priority to maintaining 00:16:30.990 --> 00:16:33.710 his daily quality of life, being able to just 00:16:33.710 --> 00:16:35.809 play with his kids without severe pain rather 00:16:35.809 --> 00:16:38.230 than attempting highly risky surgeries that had 00:16:38.230 --> 00:16:40.870 very low odds of success. He essentially had 00:16:40.870 --> 00:16:42.970 to accept that. his playing days were over. He 00:16:42.970 --> 00:16:45.590 did. Which leads to one of the most complex administrative 00:16:45.590 --> 00:16:48.610 maneuvers in sports business. This is a wild 00:16:48.610 --> 00:16:51.870 quirk of the NHL. Because of how guaranteed NHL 00:16:51.870 --> 00:16:54.169 contracts work, even though he knew he would 00:16:54.169 --> 00:16:57.149 never play again, his massive contract carrying 00:16:57.149 --> 00:17:01.090 a $10 .5 million cap hit was still active, running 00:17:01.090 --> 00:17:03.970 all the way until 2026. And this creates a very 00:17:03.970 --> 00:17:07.450 unique salary cap scenario. When a player is 00:17:07.450 --> 00:17:09.789 permanently injured, their team can place them 00:17:09.789 --> 00:17:13.230 on long -term injured reserve, or LTIR. This 00:17:13.230 --> 00:17:15.910 allows the team to exceed the salary cap by the 00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:18.529 amount of the injured player's contract. However, 00:17:18.789 --> 00:17:21.829 operating in LTIR relief heavily restricts a 00:17:21.829 --> 00:17:24.589 team's financial flexibility. It complicates 00:17:24.589 --> 00:17:26.930 call -ups and trade deadline acquisitions. So 00:17:26.930 --> 00:17:29.829 to get out of that LTIR -restricted state, Montreal 00:17:29.829 --> 00:17:31.930 does something totally fascinating in September 00:17:31.930 --> 00:17:34.980 2025. They traded Carey Price. Well, they traded 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:36.859 his contractual rights to the San Jose Sharks. 00:17:36.940 --> 00:17:39.000 Right. And the Sharks, as a rebuilding team, 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:42.000 needed to absorb massive contracts to reach the 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:45.299 NHL's mandatory salary cap floor without actually 00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:48.140 spending real cash on active players. So Montreal 00:17:48.140 --> 00:17:50.519 clears their active cap space and San Jose hits 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:53.279 their required financial markers. Exactly. It's 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:55.779 a purely administrative trade. But it's still 00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:58.279 a surreal footnote to see Carey Price, the ultimate 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:00.980 Canadian, technically finishing his contract 00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:04.529 on the books for San Jose. It is strange. But, 00:18:04.529 --> 00:18:07.349 you know, his legacy is so much larger than salary 00:18:07.349 --> 00:18:11.150 cap mechanics. His impact off the ice is arguably 00:18:11.150 --> 00:18:14.230 as significant as his time in the crease. Absolutely. 00:18:14.730 --> 00:18:17.269 He has been a remarkably dedicated philanthropist 00:18:17.269 --> 00:18:20.390 throughout his entire career. Since 2014, he 00:18:20.390 --> 00:18:22.269 has served as an ambassador for the Breakfast 00:18:22.269 --> 00:18:24.930 Club of Canada, working to provide children across 00:18:24.930 --> 00:18:27.970 the country with nutritious meals. And in 2015, 00:18:28.250 --> 00:18:32.230 he teamed up with CCM to donate $10 ,000 worth 00:18:32.230 --> 00:18:35.160 of equipment. to a minor hockey league back in 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:37.240 Williams Lake. Giving back to the community where 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:39.440 those airplane commutes first started. Exactly. 00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:42.259 And his impact on Indigenous youth is also deeply 00:18:42.259 --> 00:18:45.539 recognized. In May of 2024, the University of 00:18:45.539 --> 00:18:47.759 Northern British Columbia awarded him an honorary 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:50.170 law degree. in recognition of the inspiration 00:18:50.170 --> 00:18:52.809 he's provided to indigenous youth and his continued 00:18:52.809 --> 00:18:55.230 philanthropic work he also just showed an incredible 00:18:55.230 --> 00:18:58.190 capacity for empathy during his career he really 00:18:58.190 --> 00:19:01.369 did you think of the 2019 nhl awards he presented 00:19:01.369 --> 00:19:04.549 the feel good moment award to a young fan named 00:19:04.549 --> 00:19:08.029 anderson whitehead anderson's mother had always 00:19:08.029 --> 00:19:11.339 wanted her son to meet price But she tragically 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:13.400 passed away from breast cancer before it could 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:15.940 happen. The raw emotional moment they shared 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:18.140 on stage remains one of the most touching things 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:20.759 I've seen in recent hockey history. It really 00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:23.420 showcases the multidimensional nature of these 00:19:23.420 --> 00:19:26.099 athletes. And remember how we talked about his 00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:29.140 isolated upbringing in Anaheim Lake? Yes, the 00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:32.619 outdoorsman identity. Right. That rural outdoorsman 00:19:32.619 --> 00:19:35.240 identity remains central to his life and eventually 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:37.640 intersected with the public sphere in December 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:40.900 2022. That's when he released. a statement opposing 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.980 a proposed Canadian federal bill that would amend 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:47.200 gun control legislation. Exactly. The timing 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:49.940 of that statement became a focal point. He later 00:19:49.940 --> 00:19:52.380 issued an apology directly to the victims of 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:55.140 the École Polytechnique massacre. The apology 00:19:55.140 --> 00:19:57.359 was specifically regarding the timing of his 00:19:57.359 --> 00:19:59.160 comments, which occurred near the anniversary 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:01.980 of that tragedy. He acknowledged the pain the 00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:04.039 timing caused while maintaining his identity 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:06.799 as a hunter and outdoorsman. And we're just looking 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:09.359 at the facts of the timeline there, but it really 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.160 reinforces how these figures navigate incredibly 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:15.140 complex public spheres. Balancing their personal 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:18.299 roots with their massive platforms exactly when 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:20.619 you connect all these elements the triumphs the 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:22.799 crushing pressure the deep community roots and 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:26.059 the public struggles you get a remarkably complete 00:20:26.059 --> 00:20:30.079 human picture of a modern athlete You really 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:32.779 do. Let's synthesize this incredible journey. 00:20:32.900 --> 00:20:34.980 Okay. We started with a kid from Anaheim Lake 00:20:34.980 --> 00:20:37.720 flying in a prop plane over the Canadian wilderness 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:40.220 just to get to a rink. And that kid grows up 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:43.500 to win 361 career games. Becoming the winningest 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:45.539 goaltender in the storied history of the Montreal 00:20:45.539 --> 00:20:48.359 Canadiens. He wins Olympic gold with an unheard 00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:52.220 of .59 goals against average. And pulls off an 00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:54.920 unprecedented sweep of four major NHL awards 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:57.700 in a single season. But the legacy of Carey Price 00:20:57.700 --> 00:21:00.720 goes far. beyond his mastery of the butterfly 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:03.559 hybrid style or his staggering statistics. What 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:05.400 would you say it's really about? It's about how 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:07.920 he redefined our cultural understanding of strength 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:10.660 in sports. He showed the world that the ultimate 00:21:10.660 --> 00:21:12.900 form of bravery isn't just looking completely 00:21:12.900 --> 00:21:15.539 unbothered while staring down a 100 mile per 00:21:15.539 --> 00:21:18.819 hour slap shot in a game seven. Wow. True bravery 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:21.839 is having the courage to take off the mask, to 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:24.000 step away from the deafening noise, and to ask 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.920 for help when the game finally stops. That is 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:30.779 so well said. So the next time you are in awe 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:34.039 of someone in your own life who executes a high 00:21:34.039 --> 00:21:37.480 stakes, high stress job flawlessly. Right. The 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:39.660 next time you find yourself praising a colleague 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:42.220 or a friend for being so calm under pressure, 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:45.539 ask yourself, what invisible weights might they 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:47.299 be carrying behind the scenes to make it look 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:49.279 so effortless? That's the real question. And 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:51.660 more importantly, are we creating an environment 00:21:51.660 --> 00:21:53.920 that makes it safe for them to drop that weight? 00:21:54.140 --> 00:21:56.569 Incredible takeaway. Thank you so much for joining 00:21:56.569 --> 00:21:58.589 us on this deep dive into the life and legacy 00:21:58.589 --> 00:22:00.890 of Carey Price. We will catch you next time.