- Carey Price says the Canadiens feel like a contender four years after his last NHL game
- The Hall of Fame goalie loves Jakub Dobes’ swagger and sees himself in Jacob Fowler
- Read below for Price’s full comments, his November induction plans and his new gig at forward
Carey Price has not played an NHL game since April 2022, and he still watches the Montreal Canadiens like a guy who never left the building.
The Hall of Fame-bound goalie spoke with Dave Stubbs of NHL.com from his home in Kelowna, British Columbia, and was asked where his old team stands after last spring’s run to the Eastern Conference Final.
“It sure feels that they’re a contender.”
Price added that “a lot of things need to go right” for a championship to actually happen. He watched almost all of the run himself, and on the nights he was at his daughter’s ball game instead, he had the broadcast going on his phone.
His eye goes to the crease first. Stubbs asked him to compare Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler, the two young goalies Montreal is building around.
“They’re a little bit different. I really love Dobes’ compete level, he’s got that ‘grrr’ in his game, he’s got that swagger. I really enjoy watching that. Fowler kind of reminds me more of myself, a little more reserved. He plays a very quiet game like I did.”
Dobes, 25, signed a three-year extension in July. Fowler is 21.
Induction night is Nov. 9. Price goes in with the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, and our graphic from June put that No. 31 sweater in gold:
Tentative plans have him back in Montreal that week with his wife, Angela, and their three kids, and the Canadiens are expected to honor him before a game at Bell Centre.
There is a lot to honor. Price owns 361 regular-season wins, the most in franchise history and 47 clear of Jacques Plante, and every one of his 712 games came in a Montreal sweater.
He also swept the Hart, Vezina, Ted Lindsay and Jennings in 2014-15, won Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014 and went 5-0 at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
A knee worn down to nothing ended the career, and Price has not strapped on the pads once since. He skates twice a week in Kelowna and plays in a Thursday night league with former pros, all of it at forward.
“Playing forward is not nearly as stressful on my body as playing goal,” he said. “In general, I think I’m doing pretty good for a retiree.”
Montreal traded him to San Jose last September in a pure cap move. Price showed up for his Sharks physical anyway and tried his luck.
“I asked (San Jose general manager) Mike Grier if they needed a left-winger,” Price said, “and he said, ‘Probably not.’”
He turns 39 on Aug. 16, three months before Toronto calls his name.
