QA with Carey Price

Top prospect goaltender Carey Price answered a few of our questions at the Ottawa Rookie Tournament, where he is representing the Montreal Canadiens for the very first time. Carey speaks about his game, working out, the city of Montreal, the new NHL rules and the upcoming World Junior Championships.

McKeen's: How anxious are you to get started (Ed: Price sat out the first game of the rookie tournament in favour of Jaroslav Halak)?

Carey Price: Well, this is my first game in Montreal jersey so there is a lot to look forward to.

McKeen's: Do you know if you are attending the Canadiens training camp yet?

Carey Price: I have no word on that yet. I will probably find out at the end of the week.

McKeen's: Assuming you get that invite, will you treat it as a learning experience it or approach it as fighting for a job?

Carey Price: I will approach it like I don't want to go home. I'm going to go there and work as hard as I can and we'll see what happen. I'd imagine that they'll send me to junior but I'll try to stick around as long as I can.

McKeen's: What did you do in the off-season to try and stay sharp and in shape?

Carey Price: Well, there is a lot of golf (laughs). There is a trainer down in North Vancouver who is really good - Dusan Benicky.

McKeen's: What kind of training did he help you with?

Carey Price: A lot of work with stability, balance. I worked on being as balanced on my feet as I can.

McKeen's: Have you been to Montreal already?

Carey Price: I went to Montreal for a day before - it's really nice. I noticed that there are a lot of people who speak English there (laughs). Half the people walking down the street and speaking English - that's kind of nice.

McKeen's: You'll probably have to polish up your French a little bit.

Carey Price: Oh, yeah. Definitely.

McKeen's: Do you speak any?

Carey Price: I took French for 10 years but I didn't really learn a whole lot. I know a lot of French words, but I don't really know grammar that well.

McKeen's: Have you met Jose Theodore yet?

Carey Price: In Vancouver, at the World Junior Jose was there and we talked a little bit.

McKeen's: He could wind up being a true mentor for you in the coming years.

Carey Price: Yeah, someone to look up to. He has been in the same situation I'm in right now, so he knows what I am going through and I'll look up to him and do the same thing he did.

McKeen's: What came to you mind at the draft when you heard the Montreal Canadiens call your name?

Carey Price: I was, like, "great - I'm going to have to speak French I guess" (laughs). I was a little bit surprised but happy in the same way because it is a really good organization especially the goalies - their goalie program. So it's a good spot for me to be in.

McKeen's: Some fans in Montreal expected their team to draft a forward with the first pick - someone like Gilbert Brule. How do you respond to that?

Carey Price: I can't do anything about it. There's nothing really I can do but keep working hard and proving myself.

McKeen's: What would you say are the best assets to your game?

Carey Price: I would say that it's my personality, my mental game, my size and my ability to use my size well.

McKeen's: What facets would you say you still have to work on to take the next step as a goalie?

Carey Price: Everything. If you want to be a pro you can't really stop working at anything. I'm pretty sure that I will try to cover everything in the coming years.

McKeen's: What are your feelings on the new rules in the NHL, especially the reduced goalie equipment and the restrictions in goalies playing the puck?

Carey Price: The new pad sizes haven't really bothered me. I haven't noticed that a whole of a lot. As for playing-the-puck-rules, I don't really like that and it will take some time to get used to. There are certain situations where you have to watch yourself or you will get called. It's restrictive, because it restricts skill. There's nothing really we can do about it. We just have to learn to work around it.

McKeen's: If you don't make the team, would you be going back to junior?

Carey Price: Yeah, I'll be back in Tri-City because you can't really play in the American Hockey League until you're 20.

McKeen's: Would you say that you would have something to prove there still?

Carey Price: Well, I haven't been past the second round of the playoffs yet. We haven't won the division championships either, so there's still a lot left to do in Tri-City.

McKeen's: What about the World Junior Championships - you may have a shot to be the starting goalie there?

Carey Price: It's something I look forward to especially since the under-18 tournament, though I didn't have a good tournament. I think it's going to be a real honour and a real treat, especially playing in Vancouver which is in my home province (British Columbia).