Interview with Carey Price | “I wouldn’t change anything”

These days, Carey Price lives the life of an ordinary citizen, and then too, he lives the life of an ordinary dad.

On this short Monday, he apologizes for searching for his words a little, “because I only had one coffee this morning”. Behind him, in the background of the landscape visible in the Zoom screen, we can see a little of his native British Columbia, where his days are a little more peaceful, after having experienced 15 seasons, often more intense than that, in the jersey of the Canadian.

“I just came back from dropping my children off at school,” he begins by explaining. These days, my daily life involves taking care of my three children, all of whom are 8 years old or younger. The days are busy… I have fun watching them, trying to understand them, understanding what they like to do. It’s a blessing to be able to be present, to be part of their daily life without having to be somewhere else all the time. »

If Carey Price is no longer somewhere else all the time, in an arena near you, it’s because of a knee injury, which ended his career perhaps a little too quickly, in 2022 He then specifies that the knee was not his only problem, “because there were also other things, like the hips and the ankles”.

He still considers himself lucky.

“I already believed that I was never going to be able to fully recover from these injuries, that it was going to follow me for the rest of my life… I don’t recover like I used to, that’s the problem. Keeping goals is very demanding, but it’s all part of the risks of the job. We play matches because we like it, we don’t think about anything else. I wouldn’t change anything. »

He remembers the good times, of course. The 2021 playoffs are well at the top of his list, “with the thousands of fans waiting outside the Bell Centre”. But he cannot forget the injuries, the bad luck, the wear and tear of time. At 37, he can still put on the skates for a walk with his son at the local skating rink, but he can’t even imagine putting on the pads again.

“I miss hockey because I always found that hockey allowed me to be the best of myself… It’s certain that I would have preferred to continue. I always thought I could play until someone told me I wasn’t good enough anymore! »

We could still tell him very soon that he was good enough to become a hockey immortal. Because this year, Price will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame, an honor he never really thought about. Later, we will undoubtedly discuss his number 31, which could undoubtedly be found on the ceiling of the Bell Center.

“I’m not holding my breath with the Temple, because there are already several guys who have been waiting to get in for a long time… If it happens, I would be very honored, but it’s quite difficult to get in. I’ll just wait patiently; I never really thought about it, because when you play, you don’t think about that.

“As for the number, I would say that all the players would like to see their number on the ceiling of the Bell Centre, that’s a fact. But it’s a pretty select club that’s up there. It won’t be my decision, but it would be an honor too. »

Through family life and going back and forth to school, Carey Price takes great care to follow her old club. He still has friends within the Canadiens, and he is delighted with the current rebirth of the team.

“It’s very nice to see them going for a few weeks… It seems like the team is getting on the right path. It’s nice to see Sam play [Montembeault]he has been really solid this season, even when the club was less successful in defense. I’m happy to see that he will be playing for Canada at the 4 Nations Showdown, it’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around that often. »

Carey Price says we will see him again at the Bell Center this season, and then who knows? We will perhaps see him again one day in a more official role, since he would like to return to the world of hockey. After all, you don’t do it again, especially when hockey has been part of your entire life, or almost.

“I miss the games, I miss the energy at the arena… I miss the necessary preparation, the intensity, but what I miss the most is is to be part of a team. I find a little of that at hunting camp with the family, but the fact of pushing each other between players to get the best out of ourselves is part of what I miss the most. »