A debate about whether Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price is worthy of a Hockey Hall of Fame induction when he retires is brewing online.
That’s because Bertrand Raymond, a former hockey journalist and media section member of the hall, shared his bold take on the matter during a Tuesday interview with Pat Laprade BPM Sports.
The 79-year-old pointed to Price not winning a Stanley Cup over his 14-season career with the Habs as the main reason for him not deserving the honour in his eyes.
“He [Price] will always have people arguing in his favour,” Raymond said in French. “Personally, I have trouble with that because he’s never won.”
Bertrand Raymond a été sur le comité de sélection du Temple de la renommée pendant plusieurs années. Selon lui, Carey Price n’y mérite pas sa place, puisqu’il n’a pas de Coupe Stanley. Qu’en pensez-vous?
Pour écouter l’entretien complet avec @PatLaprade: https://t.co/GSPOkvhIHs pic.twitter.com/EbwCKSWeYF
— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) June 21, 2023
“Maybe he found himself with the Canadiens during the… bad years. That doesn’t help,” explained the former columnist for Le Journal de Montréal before pointing to the example of another Canadiens netminder.
“Patrick Roy, when he won in 1986, we said the Canadiens wouldn’t win the Cup because they weren’t the best team. When he won in 1993, we said the same thing,” Raymond said.
“Who made the difference in those years? It was him.”
Despite Raymond’s reasoning, the Hall of Fame is full of members who never lifted the Stanley Cup, including former New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who is among this year’s inductees.
Canadiens fans were quick to defend Price’s legacy upon hearing the interview. Many of them took to Twitter to voice their disagreement.
Carey Price dragged this team to the Stanley Cup Final – on one leg. He won the Hart. He won Olympic Gold. He won a WJC Gold. He won a Calder Cup. He’s a Hall of Famer and it’s not even a question in my mind. https://t.co/Se2zMMfpcc
— HabsLinks (@HabsLinks) June 21, 2023
Well luckily for Carey Price & Habs fans, Bertrand Raymond is no longer on the Hockey Hall of Fame committee so it doesn’t even really matter what he thinks 🙂 https://t.co/DrPOLScPPg
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 21, 2023
Carey Price is a first ballot HOF.
He deserves to get his jersey retired by the @CanadiensMTL.
I’ll die on this hill defending both of these takes.
— Alex Jodoin (@colegoalfield) June 21, 2023
This guy will be in the #HHOF one day!#GoHabsGo #NHL #CareyPrice pic.twitter.com/UbWUMbXhGB
— The Curfew Boys: A Montreal Canadiens Podcast (@TheCurfewBoys) June 21, 2023
As for Price’s lack of winning, the 35-year-old has accumulated plenty of accolades over the years.
Aside from leading the team to multiple playoff runs and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2021, Price has won the Vezina Trophy, Hart Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, a Calder Cup, and an Olympic gold medal.
Perhaps most importantly, he became the winningest goalie in franchise history in 2019, surpassing the likes of Montreal legends like Jacques Plante and Roy in the process.
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