Carey Price NHL players assistance program

Carey Price has won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship

The trophy is awarded to the player who “best exemplifies a dedication to hockey.”

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that Carey Price won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 2021–22 season. The trophy is awarded annually to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

This year’s other finalists for the Masterton trophy were the New York Islanders’ Zdeno Chara and the Philadelphia Flyers’ Kevin Hayes.

Carey Price has won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship

Despite only playing five games in April, Price worked on physical rehabilitation all season in order to return to play following knee surgery last summer. He also admitted to having mental health issues related to drug use, for which he sought treatment via the NHL players assistance program for a month in the fall.

At the end of the season, he stated that there’s a chance the 2021–22 season-ending game, his 700th start in his NHL career, may have been his last. In a press conference tonight, Price said that he will be preparing for next season as though he is going to play, but whether that will actually happen remains uncertain.

He also revealed that he had a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection in his injured knee after the hockey season ended. According to Sportsnet, “PRP therapy is a type of regenerative medicine that enhances the body’s natural growth factors to help it heal more effectively. The injections are increasingly used to help heal injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. They can also reduce the need for anti-inflammatories or stronger medication.”

Carey Price speaks to the media following the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy win.

This article was originally published at 8:06 p.m. and most recently updated at 11:23 p.m.

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