Carey Price returned to the Bell Centre for a pregame ceremony Tuesday night as the Montreal Canadiens added him to their ring of honour before a 2-1 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.
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The Montreal Canadiens welcomed Carey Price back to the Bell Centre on Tuesday with an extended on-ice ovation during a pregame ceremony before puck drop against the Minnesota Wild.
Canadiens fans cheered for close to four minutes as the team serenaded Price with chants of “Ca-rey! Ca-rey!” and “Olé, Olé.”
Price stood beside the team benches next to five individual trophies he won over his career and attempted to speak to the crowd.
“From the bottom of my heart, the most sincere ‘Merci beaucoup,’” Price told the crowd, his voice trembling.
Following team tradition, the Canadiens added Price to their ring of honour after his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in Toronto.
The Canadiens ultimately lost 2-1 in overtime to Minnesota. Rookie goalie Jacob Fowler made 22 saves against the Wild, including in the late-season matchup with Jesper Wallstedt.
After the game, Fowler said of Price: “One of the greatest goalies to ever play. It was crazy just to see the support of the fans. I didn't think the game was ever going to start after the ovation was going. We were joking around about it that we didn't know how long it was gonna go. Just a really special moment and super emotional.”
Price, 39, became the 62nd member of the Canadiens organization to enter the Hall of Fame. He spent his entire 15-year NHL career in Montreal after the Canadiens selected him fifth overall in the 2005 draft.
Price finished with 361 regular-season wins, a .917 save percentage, a 2.51 goals-against average and 49 shutouts in 712 games.
Born in Anahim Lake, B.C., Price grew up in the remote community of Anahim Lake and moved often for hockey as a youth. His father, Jerry, flew him by four-seat plane about 320 kilometres from their hometown to Williams Lake, B.C., three times a week so he could play minor hockey.
Before Tuesday’s ceremony, Price said it was special to take part in Canadiens events: “It was able to be a part of many ceremonies here, and obviously the rich culture of this franchise speaks for itself. I'm just honoured to add another chapter to it.”
He won Olympic gold with Canada in 2014 and later earned Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy honours in 2015, including a .933 save percentage and 1.96 goals-against average across 66 games.
Price’s NHL career ended after a degenerative right knee injury. His final appearance came in a 10-2 victory over Florida at the Bell Centre on April 29, 2022.
Asked what he thought about seeing his own portrait inside the dressing room, Price said: “I was just in there. I was so nervous to give a speech that I didn't even look at it.”
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