Having passed the first hurdle of participating in three high-paced, high-intensity practices, Price can now focus on the biggest step in his comeback from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee that ended his 2015-16 NHL season with the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 25.
Price was confirmed Wednesday as the starting goaltender for Team Canada's first pretournament game for the World Cup of Hockey 2016, against Team USA in Columbus on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPNU, SN, TVA Sports). It will be his first competitive action since he was injured more than nine months ago.
Price admitted he is a little bit stressed about the game but no more than normal, and he said his excitement overrules the stress. But one thing he clearly is not concerned about is the state of his knee.
"I've been skating a lot," Price said. "I don't have any question marks about my health or my body. I've tested absolutely everything to the limit, I did everything correctly. So I have absolutely no worries about anything."
Asked later if this game is making him even a little bit more anxious than normal, Price gave an answer that was so typically calm it served as proof that everything was fine.
"I've been doing this for a while now," he said. "So I think I know what I'm doing."
Price knows what he's doing better than most, and Crosby's laughter at the question of rust on the goaltender was only part of the proof of that.
Shortly before Team Canada camp began, reigning Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals declared the starting job was Price's to lose. You almost never hear a player speak like that, practically conceding the job to a teammate before practices even begin. But that's the level of reverence Holtby has for Price, and his stance has only grown stronger now that he's watched him work.
"Anyone that's looking at it from a sane perspective would, I mean, he's won everything internationally," Holtby said Wednesday. "He's just won the gold medal at the last Olympics (2014 Sochi), World Juniors, everything. I mean I've never played in an international game.
"I don't know, I think that's just the respect that Carey has around the League from fellow goaltenders and everyone around. He's the guy you push yourself to become."
Price won a gold medal with Canada at Sochi, allowing three goals in five games, none in the semifinal or final. He won the Hart and Vezina trophies after going 44-16-6 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 66 games in 2014-15. He was 10-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .934 save percentage last season in 12 games prior to his injury.
The layoff was long, but Price's confidence remains and, almost more importantly, his teammates share it.
"He just makes the game look easy, lets everything come to him," New York Islanders captain John Tavares said. "What makes him so good is I don't think he tries to overplay it and he's just naturally so gifted physically. He's big (6-foot-3, 216 pounds), he's quick, and he's got a great range. He's the whole package.
"For a guy like him, he's so talented he'll be able to pick it up right away."
Holtby will start the second pretournament game against Team USA in Ottawa on Saturday and split it with Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. Canada coach Mike Babcock wouldn't say who will start the final pretournament game against Russia on Sept. 14 in Pittsburgh but acknowledged Wednesday that Price will be the No. 1 goalie when the tournament starts.
When Babcock was told Wednesday that everyone is assuming Price is his guy, Babcock said, "Right."
"I'm going to have to go in there and play well enough to stay in there and I know that," Price said. "I'm just going to try and enjoy doing it."
