When an athlete with a knee injury says their priority is not to be in pain every day and that it will take some “kind of miracle” before they can compete again, that says it all.
• Also read: Canadians: Barring a ‘miracle’, Carey Price won’t be returning
• Also read: Carey Price’s absence: a big gap for Brendan Gallagher
• Also read: Marc-André Fleury considers himself lucky to be able to continue his career at 37 and says he’s sad for Carey Price
Carey Price said enough Monday lunchtime for us to draw the necessary conclusions. At 35, his goalie career in the National Hockey League ended.
There is no possible doubt.
That’s a shame.
Orr was only 30
Price isn’t the first hockey player to have his career cut short by an injury.
Former Bruins star defenseman Bobby Orr played his last game at the age of 30. Fifteen operations on both knees did not improve his condition.
Since then, orthopedics has made tremendous progress. Athletes from all walks of life have been able to continue their careers for a longer period of time after knee surgery. But it doesn’t work in all cases.
Doctors in Montreal, New York and Pittsburgh could not assure Price that another operation would surely be successful. They estimate the chances of success at 50%.
- Don’t miss Jean-François Baril’s sports column at the mic mario dumont, every day on the waves of QUB radio :
In the procedure, called osteochondral autograft, pieces of bone and cartilage taken from a healthy portion of the patient’s knee are transplanted.
The adverse effect for an athlete is that the operated area offers little resistance to friction. So we can understand Price’s reluctance to undergo this type of surgery.
His age speaks against him
He would also have to go through another longer rehabilitation phase.
Do the math: That would mean Price has only played five games in two years, or maybe longer if he’s in the lucky 50% for whom the surgery is a success.
If he were 25 it might work, but at 35 the odds are slim.
Although Price has yet to accept his sad fate, he appeared calm at his press conference.
He tried not to blame Chris Kreider when asked by a reporter if the well-documented incident in which he took the brunt of a collision with the Rangers forward could be at the root of his knee problem.
Instead, Price spoke of wear and tear from repetitive physical exercise.
“It all started when I was 8 years old,” he said, referring to his hockey debut.
“It’s a strenuous position for the body, especially when you’re in your thirties. I also had ankle and back problems.
“You can’t get over it, it comes from accumulation. »
Butterfly style devotees Patrick Roy and Jean-Sébastien Giguère suffered hip problems in the final seasons of their careers. They knew who they were exposing themselves to.
A goalkeeper is challenged to take positions that he would not normally take in life. Not only does he stretch his legs to parry, but he constantly crouches as game circles around his net.
In this respect, this profession is comparable to that of the catcher in baseball.
Have you ever tried being a little guy three hours a day, 200 days a year?
The knees take a hit.
A risky venture
These occupational hazards are not unique to sport. Those who work hard physically suffer the consequences.
The difference is that mere mortals like us do not benefit from the same financial compensation in the event of a work stoppage.
Price’s contract says he still has $24.5 million to collect. It won’t give him back the job he loved so much, but he can let his two ears sleep for the rest of his life.
Good for him!
Respect tradition
Brendan Gallagher believes Carey Price’s number 31 should one day soar to the heights of Bell Center. I don’t mind, but it would have to be done in the Canadian tradition. That means Price was previously elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Such is the case of the 18 former Habs glories who have had the great honor of retiring their jerseys.
For those disqualifying Price from a Hall of Fame pick for not winning the Stanley Cup, know that this is not a requirement.
Back then with the six teams, the chances of winning the cup were better than today with 32 formations.
Nominees must have had an impact on hockey and their club and be credited with individual honors.
angular stone
In Price’s case, he won the titles of Most Valuable Player for his team (Hart Trophy), Most Valuable Player (Ted-Lindsay) and Best Goalkeeper (Vézina) in 2015.
That same season, he won the Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goaltender with the best goals versus average in the NHL.
His 361 regular-season wins ranks 21st all-time.
Among those before him, Marc-André Fleury, third with 521 victories, and Henrik Lundqvist, sixth with 459 victories, will eventually earn their place in the Temple.
Among the others ahead of Price, eight do not belong to the pantheon. They are Curtis Joseph (7th, 454 wins); Chris Osgood 13th, 401); Ryan Miller (14th, 391); Mike Vernon (16th, 385); John Vanbiesbrouck (17th, 374); Andy Moog (18th, 372); Pekka Rinne (19th, 369); and Tom Barrasso (20th, also with 36 wins but with more losses than Rinne).
The Los Angeles Kings’ Jonathan Quick trails Price with 360 wins.
How many of the above names have had as much impact as Price on their respective teams?
There’s the question.
