Bigger fish to fry
par Staff Writer / Montréal Canadiens| Carey Price became the fifth goalie in NHL history to snuff out a team’s playoff run before his 21st birthday. |
Despite leading all rookies with 24 wins on his way to backstopping the Canadiens to the top spot in the Eastern Conference, Price ended up on the outside looking in when Nicklas Backstrom of the Capitals and the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were announced as the league’s trio of top rookie candidates on Wednesday. Price now has another round of playoff hockey to look forward to, giving the 20-year-old netminder ample opportunity to prove Calder Trophy voters wrong.
The fifth rookie goalie over the past 15 years to register a playoff shutout, Price is also one of only four goalies in the league’s 91-year history to have led a team to a playoff series victory prior to turning 21. Joining Price on that exclusive list is the Canadiens’ Patrick Roy (1986), the Oilers’ Andy Moog (1981) and Detroit’s Harry Lumley (1945), who each snuffed out a team’s playoff run before their 21st birthday.
Given the rate at which Price is padding his resume these days, it’s a good thing for Backstrom, Kane, and Toews that rookie-of-the-year balloting ended before the playoffs. As for Price, there’s another trophy handed out in June that’s he’s got his eye on.
Manny Almela is a writer for canadiens.com