If you have not yet seen what Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender Carey Price did last Saturday, please take a moment, and go to either Twitter or YouTube...honestly.
I will be writing in Price for the King Clancy Trophy the moment voting for the NHL postseason awards become available.
Price, 31, has been the starting goaltender for the Canadiens since making his NHL debut back in 2007. In fact, Price has spent his entire professional career within the Montreal organization, since being drafted fifth overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft.
There were rumors over the past few years about the Canadiens trading Price, who was making $6.5 million a year through his most recent contract. Not only did Price excel, leading the Canadiens to the playoffs in all but three seasons (2012, 2016, and last season), he earned an 8-year, $84 million extension after the 2017 season.
That is Carey Price the hockey player.
The video I alluded to earlier shows Price coming off the ice after the Habs’ morning skate, and greeting 11-year-old Anderson Whitehead. Whitehead was watching from one of the bench-side seats in an empty Air Canada Centre, where the Canadiens were in to play the Whitehead’s hometown Toronto Maple Leafs later that evening. Decked out in Price’s #31 replica jersey, Anderson should have been awe-struck meeting his hockey idol.
Instead, he broke the internet, and melted all of our hearts with his heart-breaking story.
Anderson’s mother Laura lost her battle with cancer back in November. One of Laura Whitehead’s final promises to her son would be for him to meet his favorite player, and she would do everything possible to make sure it happened.
It took an extra two months to become reality, but Whitehead’s aunt Tammy Whitehead posted the first-hand video to social media from their 23 February meeting. Anderson Whitehead--clad in as much Canadien gear he could wear at the same time--collapsed into a hug from Price, sobbing the entire time. You could tell Price was truly there to comfort Whitehead. His biggest fan's dream had come true, but the most important piece in making it a reality was not there to share it with him.
Anderson Whitehead only asked Price to autograph a goaltender stick given to him by either Price or the Canadiens' equipment manager (the video comes in late). He went home with more than he could carry, as Price autographed Whitehead’s jersey, a puck, two of his goaltender sticks, and the souvenir mini-stick Whitehead was holding when Price came off the ice, before posing together for a picture.
That is Carey Price the man.
I am a very emotional guy, and have no regrets saying I made it through about 37 seconds of the video, before I began sobbing as well. Hearing young Anderson being so appreciative, constantly thanking Price for every piece of merchandise and equipment that was being signed, while overwhelmed with emotion for the duration of the encounter is more than any of us could handle. This is by far the best story the NHL could broadcast on or off the ice this season.
Even with five other Canadian franchises, most fans in Canada tie their allegiance to either the Leafs or the Habs, provided one of the other five is not in their backyard.
The Leafs erased a 3-0 deficit after the first period later in the evening, winning the contest by a 6-3 tally. Price may have cared on the ice, but you can bet the farm he and Whitehead could care less how the day ended, based solely off how it began.
This is why the NHL is the greatest sporting league on the planet. The players police themselves on the ice, and do their best to take care of their fans off it. The Stanley Cup is the greatest trophy in all of sport. Still, sometimes there people who shape the sport into what it is, by the moments they give us when the pads come off.
Anderson and the late Laura Whitehead certainly get Carey Price’s vote, and the rest of us should follow suit.
Thank you, Carey.
-JC24