Cowan: Hockey Hall of Fame snubs Canadiens' Carey Price in first year of eligibility
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price will have to wait at least another year to become a Hall of Famer.
The Canadiens goalie wasn't among the six players named to the Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 on Tuesday afternoon in his first year of eligibility.
The players who will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on Nov. 10 in Toronto are Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny, Brianna Decker and Jennifer Botterill. Two builders will also be part of the Class of 2025 — longtime Boston University coach and USA Hockey legend Jack Parker, along with Danièle Sauvageau, who is now general manager of the PWHL's Montreal Victoire and coached the Canadian women's team to a gold medal at the 2002 Beijing Winter Olympics. Sauvageau becomes the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame as a builder.
I was surprised Price didn't get in after his former teammate and Canadiens captain Shea Weber was inducted in his first year of eligibility last year. But it's always hard to predict what the secretive 18-member Hall of Fame selection committee will do.
Mogilny somehow had to wait 17 years to finally get inducted after scoring 473 goals and adding 559 assists for 1,032 points in 990 games during his 16 seasons in the NHL. Mogilny is tied with Denis Savard for 59th place on the NHL's all-time goals list. Mogilny played 137 fewer games than Savard, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2000.
Price should definitely be in the Hall of Fame, especially when you consider that goalies Roberto Longo (2022) and Henrik Lundqvist (2023) were both inducted in their first year of eligibility.
A knee injury ended Price's career after he was only able to play five games during the 2021-22 season. The previous season, while playing through severe pain in his right knee, Price led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. During that playoff run Price had a 13-9 record, a 2.28 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.
Last month, Price was honoured as the Sports Personality of the Year at the Cummings Centre Sports Celebrity Dinner in Montreal. When asked about the possibility of entering the Hall of Fame, Price said: 'I keep getting reminded of it. I have thought about it. ... The thing that I'm most proud of is being the Montreal Canadiens goaltender for 15 years and having that opportunity is more than enough for me. If it happens, it's great. But I'm very proud of the career that I had and the memories that I've gained and the friendships that I've gained throughout my career. That would be a feather in the cap and, of course, I'd be very honoured.'
Price hopes to one day join a list of former Canadiens goalies in the Hall of Fame that includes Georges Vézina, George Hainsworth, Bill Durnan, Jacques Plante, Gump Worsley, Rogie Vachon, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy. Those eight goalies won a combined 27 Stanley Cups, with at least two each. Plante and Dryden won six each.
The big difference between those goalies and Price — who never won a Stanley Cup — is that they had several Hall of Famers playing in front of them. Only once in Price's 15 years with the Canadiens did a teammate have more than 80 points, and that was during his rookie season in 2007-08, when Alex Kovalev had 35-39-84 totals.
Kovalev ranked 11th in NHL scoring during Price's rookie season. During the next 14 seasons, the highest another one of Price's teammates ranked in NHL scoring was 21st, when Max Pacioretty had 37-30-67 totals in 2014-15. Only twice during Price's 15 seasons did the Canadiens rank higher than 13th in the NHL in offence.
Price's best season came in 2014-15, when he posted a 44-16-6 record, a 1.96 GAA, a .933 save percentage and nine shutouts, winning the Vézina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie and the Hart Trophy as league MVP. He finished his career with 712 games played, a 361-261-79 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Price ranks first among Canadiens goalies in games played and wins. He had a losing record in the playoffs — 43-45 — despite a 2.39 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
Unfortunately, Price couldn't score.
At the 2014 Olympics in Sochi — when Price had some future Hall of Famers playing in front of him — he was outstanding, posting a 0.59 GAA and a .972 save percentage as Canada won the gold medal. Price also won gold at the 2007 world junior championship and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
'I was able to be a part of so many special moments in Montreal, being there for so long,' Price said during a phone interview in February. 'Being a part of a centennial season, being part of an All-Star Game there, being a part of jersey retirements. I got the opportunity to take in so many different special events. But I think, above all else, being part of a Stanley Cup run was a lot of fun.'
The Hall of Fame should be next — even though Price never won a Stanley Cup.
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Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Although Botterill had received messages of support in recent days from friends and colleagues that this call might come, she didn't feel a heightened sense of anticipation. 'It really wasn't on my radar,' said Botterill. 'You're not sure if it's going to happen or it's not, in terms of the timing. I didn't even think about bringing the phone with me on the boat ride. It wasn't where my thought process was.' In recent years, Botterill had chosen to focus on her teammates and friends who had received the call from the Hockey Hall of Fame rather than wonder when — or if — her time would come. 'It's been so much fun to share that with them and to follow along,' said Botterill. 'I was just so authentically happy and surprised to receive that call today. I'm filled with gratitude.' During a conference call Tuesday afternoon, Botterill reminisced about walking to the two outdoor rinks at Wildwood Community Club before her teenage years arrived. Julie Jacobson / The Associated Press files Botterill (centre) leaps over the boards to celebrate Canada winning the gold medal in women's hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Julie Jacobson / The Associated Press files Botterill (centre) leaps over the boards to celebrate Canada winning the gold medal in women's hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics. 'I would literally pack a bag of pucks and put it over your shoulder with your hockey sticks and your skates,' she said. 'Many days were fresh and cool in Winnipeg, but it made for great outdoor rinks. That's where I first fell in love with the sport. Whether it was shooting pucks on my own or a game of pickup hockey. In terms of how far the sport has come and in terms of this amazing honour, I don't think that little girl growing up in Wildwood Park could have imagined this coming to life one day.' When it was first announced that women's hockey was becoming an Olympic sport, Botterill began dreaming of representing her country one day. Her hard work and determination helped Botterill realize that goal at the age of 18, when she was the youngest player suiting up for Canada in Nagano in 1998. Before she was done, Botterill had played 184 international games. 'I still smile as I think back to those conversations expressing my goals and my dreams to my parents and sharing that with them,' said Botterill. 'They provided an environment where Jason and I felt encouraged. And they taught us to believe in ourselves. 'I'm extremely thankful for the family environment I had and the support I had — and the incredible life journey that hockey has provided to me.' A post shared by Jennifer Botterill (@jenbotterill) Botterill has been involved in television broadcasting of the NHL since 2018 when she covered the New York Islanders for MSG. She is currently an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada and Rogers Sportsnet and also covers hockey for the NHL on TNT with Turner Sports / Warner Bros. She's also been heavily involved in broadcasting the women's game and is happy to see the growth of the PWHL. 'It's exciting to see all of the choices for women in the game now,' said Botterill, who was previously inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2024 and Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017. 'To have three girls that have chosen to play the sport and seem to love it — and now, just seeing it through their eyes, is something that's really fulfilling. PHIL HOSSACK/ Free Press files Botterill during the 2010 Olympic Gold medal ceremonies in Vancouver. PHIL HOSSACK/ Free Press files Botterill during the 2010 Olympic Gold medal ceremonies in Vancouver. 'It's fun to reflect on that little girl walking down Section C of Wildwood Park and (see) how far the game has come.' Parker and Sauvageau got in as builders, while the six others were chosen in the player category. Sauvageau shared some thoughts on Botterill's best qualities during Tuesday's conference call. 'There was always a great discussion. It was not just to do things to do them, but why and what is the best way to do it,' said Sauvageau. 'Whenever I have the occasion to see her speak with her hockey analysis, I recognize the young hockey player that put in so much work trying to be the best that she could be. 'She talked about appreciating her teammates and we often say that to be one of the greatest hockey players, you have to also be one of the greatest teammates and that's basically what she has been. And I'm sure that she continues to be in every field that she has touched in her life.' Decker, who played her college hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers and was a star with the U.S. national team, has an immense appreciation for Botterill. 'I looked up to her quite a bit, even though she was always the opponent,' said Decker. 'It's incredible to be part of a class with her. She's done so much for the game and obviously, I'm a little bit younger but at the same time, I tried to pave the way as much as possible — just (like) she has. 'She's a great role model.' X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld Ken WiebeReporter Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken. Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
