Carey Price: “I’ve always been a fighter and I’m not giving up”

The Montreal Canadiens held their final press conferences of the season this morning, with GM Kent Hughes, Coach Martin St. Louis and selected players, including Carey Price, who spoke about his ongoing knee problems. Price played in last night’s game, where the last-place Habs beat the #1-ranked Florida Panthers 10–2, but all was not well with the team’s star goalie.

Carey Price s'adresse aux médias en direct du Complexe sportif Bell, pour le bilan de fin de saison.

Carey Price addresses the media from the Bell Sports Complex for his end of season media availability.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/BqVjJFDFcT

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 30, 2022

“I’m just continuing to get a lot of swelling in my knee. It’s been difficult to do a lot of things well out there. Last night I played pretty well, it was a good game, but there’s a lot of aspects of goaltending that are required these days that are very difficult for me to do.”

Price said that his check-in with his doctor in New York City on Wednesday didn’t provide any of the answers he was looking for, and that he will be getting “another opinion.” He added that having another surgical procedure is “on the table.”

Following what he described as a difficult and frustrating season-long recovery process after knee surgery last summer, Price returned to play his first game of the season on April 15. He played a total of five games since then, part of the raison d’etre being to see how his knee would respond. When asked if he could potentially play an entire season with his knee in its current state, he said, “My honest opinion is no.”

With the Habs in the midst of a rebuild and the draft coming up in July, reporters asked Price whether there was talk about him going to another team — a move that would have to be voluntary given his contract — or whether he would retire (sooner or later) as a Hab.

“I’ve been a Hab my whole life. It’s part of my identity. The future is so bright for this team — the kids that are on this team are spectacular people and they bring a lot of energy, and I hope to be a part of that.

“But it’s hard to say right now. I’ve never envisioned myself playing anywhere else, it’s hard to fathom. But at this point, it’s (about) getting back to playing really good hockey first.”

As for short-term goals, Price said he’s making appointments in the hopes of getting some questions answered, and formulating a plan to execute ahead of 2022-23.

“This is definitely tough, but I’ve always been a fighter and I’m not giving up. I’m going to continue to do my best to prepare for next season.”

Despite a certain amount of optimism, Price suggested that last night’s game — his 700th start in his NHL career, and an exceptional” game day for him personally — could very well have been his last.

“If it is it,” he said, “that would be a great way to do it.”

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