Carey No. 1? No surprise, say teammates

BROSSARD - The news of the day may have been the NHLPA's annual player poll, but the membership's selection of Carey Price as the League's top goaltender was not news to his teammates.

"I voted for Carey too. I don't think that's a surprise. He's outstanding," praised winger Tomas Tatar of his teammate, who recently overtook Jacques Plante for most wins in franchise history. "As an opponent, I always knew he was good; he's tough to score against. He's really calm in the net. As a teammate, you can just see how hard he works and what he means to this locker room. In big moments, Carey is the one who steps in and gives us a chance to be in a game. I think everybody knows how big he is for this team."
Tatar's linemate, centerman Phillip Danault, is in his third full season playing with Price and added his support for the veteran backstop.
"He's on a mission and he wants to win. He's a winner and a big leader for us," added Danault of Price, who boasts a 30-22-5 record, 2.54 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts this season. "Sometimes goalies don't talk much but when Pricey talks, everybody listens. He's getting wins for us, he's making some key saves to help us."

For Danault, having a goaltender who can help out around the net just adds to an all-impressive toolkit.
"He has good hands, a good shot, a good one-timer," he cracked, before adding: "He's like a third defenseman."
Tatar was also in the mix in the player survey, with his nickname 'Tuna' earning the distinction of being the most popular one in the NHL.
"I'm really happy guys around the League like the nickname. It started in Detroit. Tomas Holmstrom looked at my jersey, saw my name and was like, 'Oh, okay, I'll call you Tuna'. Since then, it got bigger and bigger," he explained. "After the trade from Vegas, Shawzy [Andrew Shaw] tweeted something about Tuna as well. That's how it started here."

Although he didn't figure in the poll, Shaw's name came up several times in the room when his teammates were asked to pick the best trash-talker on the Habs.
"He likes to talk on the ice, for sure. We've gotten a few words in," shared Tatar, referring of course to his days facing Shaw as an opponent. "He battles hard, he's a big part of this team. You want to have a guy like that on your side. He's great in the locker room."

When asked to shed some light on Shaw's talents as a wordsmith, however, Tatar decided to play it safe.
"I'd rather not," he answered with a smile.
The Habs will hold an 11:00 a.m. morning skate on Thursday ahead of their game against the New York Islanders at the Bell Centre.