MONTREAL 鈥� Carey Price's outlook on his health has shifted but without any intent on retiring yet.
With a lingering knee injury that sidelined him for all but five games in the 2021-22 season, the Montreal Canadiens' franchise goaltender is set for another season on long-term injured reserve. Speaking with the media on Monday, Price said his focus has gravitated toward his daily life and not ending his 15-year run in the National Hockey League.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have to take it step by step. I don鈥檛 have a plan to retire right at this moment,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ight now, my goal is to just be pain-free from day to day. I鈥檓 still having some issues getting up and down stairs and carrying my kids up and down stairs is difficult.聽
鈥淪o my first priority is just to get my body in a place where I鈥檓 pain-free in my day-to-day living and go from there.鈥� 聽
Price, 35, had a second opinion on his knee injury in Pittsburgh at the conclusion of last season and was suggested to undergo another surgery.聽
The recommendation left Price feeling unwell and a risk to his overall quality of life. The netminder added that he was 鈥渘ot fond鈥� of the idea and called the procedure 鈥渋ntrusive.鈥澛�
鈥淭he surgery is called OATS," Price said. 鈥淏asically, they鈥檙e taking a plug of cartilage and bone from a lower area in your knee and placing it in the cartilage-damaged area. It鈥檚 pretty serious and the success rate is above 50 per cent and from a pessimistic perspective it鈥檚 like, 鈥榃ell, there鈥檚 50 per cent chance that it could not work or 30 per cent chance or whatever.鈥櫬�
鈥淚t鈥檚 something, unless I was in dire need of to get through my life, that maybe I would consider at that point but right now I鈥檓 looking at my young kids and to play with them day to day is the most important thing for me.鈥澛�
For the time being, Price considers the next step to be continuing the rehab he had already been going through. A lengthy, tedious process that hasn鈥檛 been successful as of yet.聽
鈥淭hat鈥檚 been the real frustrating part but I鈥檝e talked to several people that had this type of injury and it鈥檚 taken over a year for them to start feeling normal,鈥� Price said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 still holding out hope. There鈥檚 a possibility of another injection but we鈥檒l have to see. We just have to continue trying to solve a problem but that surgery is a bit worrisome for me.鈥�
There are no spaces with Price鈥檚 name anymore in the Canadiens鈥� locker room at the Bell Centre. It's a telling change for Habs veterans like Brendan Gallagher, who lived the highs and lows of the team鈥檚 recent history alongside Price.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 different looking down and not having him in here. He was really the focal (point) of this team, this organization for so many years,鈥� Gallagher said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 different but I鈥檓 just fortunate to have spent the years that I did with him and he made me look good on many of nights. I鈥檇 never say that to his face but I owe him one or two.鈥澛�
Price thinks of himself as being in a 鈥済rey area鈥� when it comes to being a part of the team. He was introduced to a standing ovation at the Bell Centre as a non-playing Canadien during the season opener on Oct. 12. The fifth overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft said that he is still trying to find a balance between staying close to the team as an injured player and respecting his teammates鈥� space.聽
鈥淎ny injured guy will tell you that it鈥檚 kind of a weird position to be in,鈥� Price said. 鈥淵ou feel like you鈥檙e a part of the team but you don鈥檛 feel like you鈥檙e a part of the team.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be in there every day and using up resources day to day. These guys come in here and they work hard every day. They see trainers every day and I don鈥檛 want to impede their progress. I鈥檓 not gonna be a part of that process here this season so I feel like I鈥檓 in the way. I鈥檒l be around, I miss being with the guys.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2022.
Tristan D'Amours, The Canadian Press
