For many years, Carey Price was the Canadiens’ best player. The goalkeeper, who was part of the league’s elite, was the face of the Montreal franchise.
This was reflected in his performances, but also in his popularity within the fan base in Montreal.
And even though he is retired (unofficially, at least), Price is still a popular guy in town. We see it in the comments under this CH publication on Wednesday evening.
That said, Price still had his share of detractors in town. His big contract was criticized, as was the fact that he never learned French.
And this second point resonates particularly with Brendan Kelly, an English-speaking journalist (who learned French) who covers CH. And in an interview with Richard Labbé (The Press), he did not hesitate to express his thoughts:
Carey Price is a guy from the West who never understood Quebec. –Brendan Kelly
We really feel that he would have liked to see him make the effort to learn French… and in fact, it’s a debate that is still in the news today. Seeing prominent players on the team like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield not speaking French, just like a leader in Jeff Gorton, is not unanimous.
We sometimes hear the captain say a few words in French (in advertisements, among others), but nothing more.
That said, Price is still aware of the impact he may have had in Quebec. We know that he has always been a guy involved in the community (but who didn’t necessarily do it in front of the cameras), and he represented the CH well at that level.
Could he have done more? Possibly… but to say that he “never understood Quebec” seems a bit harsh to me.
In burst
– Wow.
– Effectively.
– Martin St-Louis advocates patience.
– Spencer Knight in action tonight for the Panthers.
– Nice read.
– Interesting.
