Former Montreal Canadiens star goaltender Carey Price spoke about his new life in Kelowna, British Columbia in a lengthy interview with renowned and venerable journalist Dave Stubbs.
Among other things, Price admitted that he misses hockey games, but will miss them even more during the winter season.
“I’m usually busy in the fall and the kids go back to school. But last season, in December, January and February, I said to myself: “Damn…” I really wanted to play.
Legendary doctor David Mulder recently explained why Price will never return to the game. Essentially, his knee injury hid another one.
“He had a meniscus injury so we sent him to New York for surgery. The surgeon discovered that the femur had lost all of its cartilage. “It was a surprise and it ended his career,” Mulder told the media on the sidelines of a gala evening at the Bell Centre.
During his interview with Mr. Stubbs, Price discussed this episode in more detail. A possible surgical procedure would have been to harvest cartilage from the knee bone and transplant it around the femur. However, the operation was intrusive and offered no guarantees.
When Price attempted a return to play in the 2021-22 season, his plan was to strengthen his knee to adapt to the new reality. Unfortunately, this approach had its limitations. He ended up playing five games, but he wasn’t feeling well.
“It was difficult,” he admitted. I felt like something was wrong. Every time I tried to come back, it was at a snail’s pace. Every time I was about to return, the knee would swell again. It swelled so much that I could no longer assume the positions on the ice recommended by a goalie.
“Every time I skated, the knee would swell. I did my best. I took anti-inflammatories but they didn’t really help. “I got stung a few times trying to get through but the last few games have been tough.”
Today, the ex-athlete is doing quite well, but certain everyday activities sometimes cause sudden swelling in the knee, reminding him why he couldn’t put the leggings back on.
On paper, Price is still a member of the Canadiens, but the team buried his $10.5 million-per-year contract, valid through 2026, on the long-term injured list.
However, Price says he is willing to lift his no-move clause to help Kent Hughes if he manages to trade him.