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What does Carey Price need to regain his form?


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I dont blame Scneider at all for that goal. Why do you think Schneider should be responsible for protecting the covered puck that was under Prices glove?

You can use the learning curve buzz word all you want. You will never get me to beleive that was the 1st time that Price has ever been poked when he's had the puck. That is clearly something he should already know. Most goalies in Atom would know this. I'm positive that theres quite a few goalies on this board who came nowhere close to making the NHL who all know that opposing forwards will poke at the goalie when the goalie has the puck.

...just as there are defencemen out there that know that if you're facing your own goalie while he's trying to cover the puck, you're facing the wrong direction. You aren't protecting/defending the crease if all you're looking at is whatever your goalie is doing.

The puck wasn't covered, BTW. That's why Krejci got his stick on it.... he got it under Price's glove before Price had his glove on the ice.

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Tonight was a perfect example of what has gone wrong with Price.

On goal one he did not track the puck cross crease, last season he would have dropped to his knees and

slid cross crease, the tip would have hit him in the chest. Great save, instead he gave it a confusing lazy

look into the corner and was shocked at the tip. I expect that two years from now that will not be a goal.

On goal two he was doing EXACTLY what Melanson told him to do (Millen's words). He was in the blue of the crease, when

instinct would have you out 3-4 feet further. He was beat short side blocker, believe me, when you are too deep it makes

it difficult to handle shots like that. Once again, a small technical fix would have avoided the goal.

On goal three, his rebound control was suspect. When he entered the league, his rebound control was flawless.

During the AHL run, I was amazed at how effortlessly he directed pucks into the corner, but in his struggles to do

to much, he rarely seems to be in the right position. Which creates a more scrambling motion, lacking in control.

No control leads to no control of his rebounds.

Puck tracking was a struggle for him when he came up last fall, but the other two aspects of his game were strengths.

He used to go post to post with no effort, now he seems to scramble back to position just to be able to push off and get across.

When you are as large as Price and you are positioned properly pucks tend to hit you, now pucks are beating him just inside the post.

I don't think that is because players are making perfect shots, I think it is because he is too deep and is not positioned square to

the shooter. So players are shooting for the openings.

I fully expect him to comeback next season having fixed these technical flaws. I am confused as to why Gainey/Melanson

expected him to be able to overcome these type of problems when he has not improved since he returned in February.

As far as I am concerned Halak was way closer to peak form then Price, and Halak at 90-100% is a better goaltender

than Price at 75%. I would have gone with Halak as soon as he got back from his flu.

Edited by Wamsley01
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Price not ready to be the number 1 goalie for the Canadiens.

Period.

He is talented, he will eventually be a great goalie in this league.

But he is not ready mentally, he is not ready physically.

One good year in the minors could do him well.

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Price not ready to be the number 1 goalie for the Canadiens.

Period.

He is talented, he will eventually be a great goalie in this league.

But he is not ready mentally, he is not ready physically.

One good year in the minors could do him well.

LOL. Halak has been marginally better. Take a look at the 30 other starters in the NHL

and tell me that Price is 31st among them.

Until there is a better option, he is a worthy 1 or 1A. The minors are not an option.

Edited by Wamsley01
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Price is victim of his high draft rank and the shitty Habs defense. He will get there, but he needs to be better supported. He also needs time. It was stupid to expect him to carry the team this early in his career. Blame Gainey for rushing and pushing and shoving him down the throat of the coaches.

He might also have been overrated early on. Wouldnt be the first time a junior goalie goes early in the 1st round but never meets expectations. You got Luongo that panned out, but check the list of 1st round goalies: DiPietro, DesRochers, Chouinard, Finley, Ouellet, Krahn, Leclaire, Blackburn, Lehtonen, Fleury, Montoya, Dubnyk... Only DiPietro & Fleury are legit starters. Lehtonen & Leclaire are injuries waiting to happen. The rest are duds, not even in the NHL.

That's why I hate spending 1st rounders on goalies.

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Price is victim of his high draft rank and the shitty Habs defense. He will get there, but he needs to be better supported. He also needs time. It was stupid to expect him to carry the team this early in his career. Blame Gainey for rushing and pushing and shoving him down the throat of the coaches.

He might also have been overrated early on. Wouldnt be the first time a junior goalie goes early in the 1st round but never meets expectations. You got Luongo that panned out, but check the list of 1st round goalies: DiPietro, DesRochers, Chouinard, Finley, Ouellet, Krahn, Leclaire, Blackburn, Lehtonen, Fleury, Montoya, Dubnyk... Only DiPietro & Fleury are legit starters. Lehtonen & Leclaire are injuries waiting to happen. The rest are duds, not even in the NHL.

That's why I hate spending 1st rounders on goalies.

How many of those guys won a Calder Cup at 19? I would still bet on Price being better than Fleury, Lehtonen, Leclaire and DiPietro.

He has the potential to be Luongoish, the only thing that may derail that is the pressure cooker knows as Montreal. Most of his struggles

this season have been between the ears. Once he began to press and do to much, his game fell apart.

John Anderson on TSN said he doesn't even recognize the goaltender that knocked out the Wolves in 2007.

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John Anderson on TSN said he doesn't even recognize the goaltender that knocked out the Wolves in 2007.

This is *exactly* what happens when you bring a goalie along too soon. I am TERRIFIED that we are in the process of ruining the most highly-touted young habs in a generation.

Bob clearly did not anticipate the total collapse of the team's defensive game, but now that it's happened, the consequences are potentially grave.

We just have to have faith in Price's resiliency. And clearly we do need to acquire a decent vet to mentor Price along, which is really a shame given the potential cap hit.

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I wonder how much season and years we'll have to wait Carey to finally be a solid and stable goaltender as he prove it in the juniors... I hope Price is not another Theodore and prove us to be an Osgood or Brodeur in the upcoming years !!! Tomorrow will be a very sad day I feel it's going to be a last game as Habs for many of them... :P Bob you believed in this team? Totally wrong....

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There is hope for Price, if you look at Luongo and Fleury in the playoffs this year. Fleury also came in very young in the NHL, with tons of pressure and the high expectations that comes with being a 1st overall pick. He also was thought to be a huge bust and etc. Had to wait until last year's playoffs (when he was 23) to see shades of why he was drafted to high and this year he seems to finally be arrived at 24.

So we can wait 2-3 years for Price to see how he pans out.

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I don't view Price as a failed experiment, as I view Price as a solid goaltending prospect (like Rask in Boston). What is a failure was thinking that tossing him in so early in his career was somehow going to produce the next Roy. Fleury was tossed to the wolves too, and he is just starting to get it together.

Boston has taken the opposite approach with Rask and it will be interesting to see how him and Price develop over the next 10 years.

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I don't view Price as a failed experiment, as I view Price as a solid goaltending prospect (like Rask in Boston). What is a failure was thinking that tossing him in so early in his career was somehow going to produce the next Roy. Fleury was tossed to the wolves too, and he is just starting to get it together.

Boston has taken the opposite approach with Rask and it will be interesting to see how him and Price develop over the next 10 years.

The problem for Rask is he may debut with a poor team. The Bruins look like world beaters right now,

but the team that he takes over will not resemble the one of today. They have MAJOR cap issues moving

forward because of the Ryder/THomas deals. Two of Savard/Krejci/Kessel could be gone.

Price was exposed as a kid because of the lack of support. Look at Mason right now, is he any less

of a goaltender because his GAA has risen a goal and a half and his SV% plummeted by 30 points?

Big difference from the regular season when you face a different team every night to when you

get a motivated powerhouse like Detroit nightly. Anybody who thought Mason could STEAL a series

was in dreamland. The kid is good, but he remains 20.

Goaltenders do not steal series by themselves. It has NEVER happened. Dryden stole the series in 1971?

Well if the definition of steal is giving up close to 4 goals a game while your team puts up 7 and 8 goal games

is winning a series all by himself then he did.

A goaltender can COST you a series, a goaltender can keep you in a series, but a goaltender cannot win a series on their own.

The fact that people put this on Price before the series even started was ludicrous. Price has made at least two great saves per

game (sprinkled with a couple of weak goals) and Thomas has allowed 2 stinkers and it is 3-0. Price would have had to play

at Luongo's level to have made this close, and anybody who expected a 21 year old to do that was delusional.

Goaltender for the Habs is one of the most difficult jobs in sports, a 29 year old Roy temporarily buckled under the pressure

and he won two cups, if this destroys Price then he likely was never going to excel in Montreal.

Roy even noted it in his retirement speech, he said thanks for being so demanding and pushing me beyond my limits.

But if Price fights through this what will bother him in the future? Being mock cheered by the home crowd?

That is tough and he can either mope or giving them a giant FU and be the best goalie in the world.

They drafted him for his ability as well as his mental toughness and demeanour. I am not panicking like the majority

on this board, I think he will be fine.

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Is it possible he came back too soon just to play in the All-Star game?

Isn't this about the time his game, positioning, confidence etc etc started to suffer? There was also talk that Melanson's teaching/style hasn't helped....if fact it's thrown Price's whole game out of whack

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After reading some of these responses and given what's taken place over the past two or three weeks....a lot of loses.....I think there are two or three things we need to do.

1. Someone needs to find out if Melanson has tried to change Carey's style. A lot of people have commented on how much Price is on his knees now, much more than before. Is this his choice or has Melanson changed him.....with poor results! If they have changed him, they'd better get someone to lead him back to what made him successful.

2. I think the saying "hindsight has 20/20 vision" could be applied here. A legitimate question now is, have we brought Price along too fast? Should we have kept Huet another year and forced Price to develop more slowly? If that's true then judging on how long it took other 1st round goalies, like Fluery, Luongo and Dipietro, to develop into consistant, front line NHL goalies, I think none of them were effective till they were at least 23, then we have another two years before Price will develop into the goalie we think he can be. It seems like we took a chance and expected him to be years ahead of these other goalies at the same age, and now that seems like a poor decision.

3. I don't think we should get a veteran backup goalie for two reasons. First, that would mean trading Halak, and I do not think that's something we should do. Secondly, I think we need a veteran goalie, but as a coach, not a player. I wonder if it's time for a change with our goalie coach. If I've got the right guy, wasn't Olaf Kolzig a mentor and help to Carey Price a few years back. Maybe, if Kolzig is the right guy, we stay with Halak and Price next year, go the whole year splitting the goaltending duties, and let Price practice, play, be mentored and kind of go back to some basics.

At only 21 years old we need to give Carey Price 2 more years at least. It's not too late, but we'd better make sure we have a plan and the next two years are well thought out with a plan in place.

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After reading some of these responses and given what's taken place over the past two or three weeks....a lot of loses.....I think there are two or three things we need to do.

1. Someone needs to find out if Melanson has tried to change Carey's style. A lot of people have commented on how much Price is on his knees now, much more than before. Is this his choice or has Melanson changed him.....with poor results! If they have changed him, they'd better get someone to lead him back to what made him successful.

2. I think the saying "hindsight has 20/20 vision" could be applied here. A legitimate question now is, have we brought Price along too fast? Should we have kept Huet another year and forced Price to develop more slowly? If that's true then judging on how long it took other 1st round goalies, like Fluery, Luongo and Dipietro, to develop into consistant, front line NHL goalies, I think none of them were effective till they were at least 23, then we have another two years before Price will develop into the goalie we think he can be. It seems like we took a chance and expected him to be years ahead of these other goalies at the same age, and now that seems like a poor decision.

3. I don't think we should get a veteran backup goalie for two reasons. First, that would mean trading Halak, and I do not think that's something we should do. Secondly, I think we need a veteran goalie, but as a coach, not a player. I wonder if it's time for a change with our goalie coach. If I've got the right guy, wasn't Olaf Kolzig a mentor and help to Carey Price a few years back. Maybe, if Kolzig is the right guy, we stay with Halak and Price next year, go the whole year splitting the goaltending duties, and let Price practice, play, be mentored and kind of go back to some basics.

At only 21 years old we need to give Carey Price 2 more years at least. It's not too late, but we'd better make sure we have a plan and the next two years are well thought out with a plan in place.

If my memory serves me correctly, Fleury came up with good early results but his 2nd and 3rd years were up and down years. He may have even been sent to the AHL for a while before finally returning to stay. Price needs time and needs to have the fans and media in Montreal to cut him some slack. Win now is NOT ALWAYS possible even for Montreal fans who see Montreal as their one and only relegion.

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I am no fan of Jack Todd, but his latest post-mortem on the season from the Gazette brings up a point that I have been stewing over myself:

"In the middle of the playoff meltdown, we had Carey Price, old Man ’o Bud himself, yukking it up with this clown they call Cabbie, in Boston after a loss. As Stu Cowan said yesterday, had Cabbie approached Patrick Roy in the same situation, he would have been lucky to escape with a goalie stick in his head.

(While the nonsense with Price and Cabbie was going on, Georges Laraque dropped by for a few laughs. Try to imagine a similar situation: John Ferguson finding Jacques Plante kidding around with a reporter after a playoff loss in Boston. Plante would have needed an extra mask.)"

That whole scene really bothered the hell out of me...Price's nonchalance about the game makes it difficult for me to like him. He just doesn't have that warrior's spirit that the very best goaltenders seem to have...that intensity that blazes white-hot when there's something on the line.

As for Carey Price raising his arms in Roy-esque fashion, I had no problem with the act itself. The fans were giving it to him, and he gave it right back...that's fine.

What I did have a problem with was what he said about the incident the next day: when he said he hit the Roy pose on purpose as a warning to fans, in a 'be careful what you wish for' spirit...that was a real problem for me. I'm thinking....###### you you arrogant little snot-nosed punk. Careful what we wish for, as if losing you would be some epic tragedy on the scale of losing Roy? Who in the hell do you think you are, Price!? When Patrick Roy did it, he had two Stanley Cup rings, two Conn Smythe trophies, three Vezina trophies, and had led the league in GAA and save percentage several times...he had been the league's best goaltender for over a decade. It was a tragedy to lose HIM.

Price? So far, he's played two good half-seasons, an abysmal half-season, and has been lacklustre it two playoffs (not bad, mind you, but certainly not stealing his team many games). He hardly has the resume to be making thinly veiled 'careful what you wish for' threats.

I only put half the blame on Price for his attitude, though. The other half falls squarely on the shoulders of Bob Gainey. After all, you can only partially blame a 21-year-old for getting an inflated sense of his value after he's been handed the keys to the kingdom by his general manager. He never had to earn the starter's role...he never had to worry about losing playing time even though his backup outplayed him for half a season. The veteran that was looming as last year's playoffs approached? No problem...Bob Gainey cleared him out so 'The Chosen One' could take the lead role uncontested. Carey Price never had to push himself, never had to battle to stay in the game....not with 'Uncle Bob' constantly patting him on the head and giving him candy even after abysmal performances.

That's the way I'm feeling.

And to make myself clear, I am NOT blaming Price for our early exit...we could have had any goalie on the planet in there and the Bruins still would have won. It's his attitude I have a problem with...a big problem. It's going to be very hard for me to like this guy going forward.

Edited by sbhatt
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I am no fan of Jack Todd, but his latest post-mortem on the season from the Gazette brings up a point that I have been stewing over myself:

"In the middle of the playoff meltdown, we had Carey Price, old Man ’o Bud himself, yukking it up with this clown they call Cabbie, in Boston after a loss. As Stu Cowan said yesterday, had Cabbie approached Patrick Roy in the same situation, he would have been lucky to escape with a goalie stick in his head.

(While the nonsense with Price and Cabbie was going on, Georges Laraque dropped by for a few laughs. Try to imagine a similar situation: John Ferguson finding Jacques Plante kidding around with a reporter after a playoff loss in Boston. Plante would have needed an extra mask.)"

That whole scene really bothered the hell out of me...Price's nonchalance about the game makes it difficult for me to like him. He just doesn't have that warrior's spirit that the very best goaltenders seem to have...that intensity that blazes white-hot when there's something on the line.

As for Carey Price raising his arms in Roy-esque fashion, I had no problem with the act itself. The fans were giving it to him, and he gave it right back...that's fine.

What I did have a problem with was what he said about the incident the next day: when he said he hit the Roy pose on purpose as a warning to fans, in a 'be careful what you wish for' spirit...that was a real problem for me. I'm thinking....###### you you arrogant little snot-nosed punk. Careful what we wish for, as if losing you would be some epic tragedy on the scale of losing Roy? Who in the hell do you think you are, Price!? When Patrick Roy did it, he had two Stanley Cup rings, two Conn Smythe trophies, three Vezina trophies, and had led the league in GAA and save percentage several times...he had been the league's best goaltender for over a decade. It was a tragedy to lose HIM.

Price? So far, he's played two good half-seasons, an abysmal half-season, and has been lacklustre it two playoffs (not bad, mind you, but certainly not stealing his team many games). He hardly has the resume to be making thinly veiled 'careful what you wish for' threats.

I only put half the blame on Price for his attitude, though. The other half falls squarely on the shoulders of Bob Gainey. After all, you can only partially blame a 21-year-old for getting an inflated sense of his value after he's been handed the keys to the kingdom by his general manager. He never had to earn the starter's role...he never had to worry about losing playing time even though his backup outplayed him for half a season. The veteran that was looming as last year's playoffs approached? No problem...Bob Gainey cleared him out so 'The Chosen One' could take the lead role uncontested. Carey Price never had to push himself, never had to battle to stay in the game....not with 'Uncle Bob' constantly patting him on the head and giving him candy even after abysmal performances.

That's the way I'm feeling.

And to make myself clear, I am NOT blaming Price for our early exit...we could have had any goalie on the planet in there and the Bruins still would have won. It's his attitude I have a problem with...a big problem. It's going to be very hard for me to like this guy going forward.

+10000000 !!!

I could not have dictated my own thoughts any better, but needless to say that is exactly why I have a problem with this kid! He is a product of his environment ... a complete sense of entitlement to his current position without any fear of competition, again bravo BG! If you think that is going to breed a championship-caliber goalie you are sadly mistaken folks. World Jrs is a 2 week tourney, and from what I recall he was parachuted into the AHL conveniently right before the playoffs started. He has lots of natural talent, but wake-the-f*ck-up people this is the NHL, everyone has natural talent. How you hone your skills and adapt to a changing game is what makes good goalies great. So far, Carey Price has done zero of that in his very short (and very mediocre) NHL career.

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Or, maybes he's not a robot? Maybe he's a human who has the ability to express advanced emotions such as joy and happiness. Or would you prefer that after a loss he curl up in the corner and slash his wrists with a hockey skate?

Plus, if he had told off Cabbie and got upset, people would be riding him for that instead.

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Or, maybes he's not a robot? Maybe he's a human who has the ability to express advanced emotions such as joy and happiness. Or would you prefer that after a loss he curl up in the corner and slash his wrists with a hockey skate?

Plus, if he had told off Cabbie and got upset, people would be riding him for that instead.

"Price told Cabbie to screw off? Why can't we have a goalie who isn't so uptight? He should have joked around a bit and shown everyone how loose he was!"

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+10000000 !!!

I could not have dictated my own thoughts any better, but needless to say that is exactly why I have a problem with this kid! He is a product of his environment ... a complete sense of entitlement to his current position without any fear of competition, again bravo BG! If you think that is going to breed a championship-caliber goalie you are sadly mistaken folks. World Jrs is a 2 week tourney, and from what I recall he was parachuted into the AHL conveniently right before the playoffs started. He has lots of natural talent, but wake-the-f*ck-up people this is the NHL, everyone has natural talent. How you hone your skills and adapt to a changing game is what makes good goalies great. So far, Carey Price has done zero of that in his very short (and very mediocre) NHL career.

So now we demand that the players have a certain demeanor in order to be winners?

WTF? I don't know if you guys read scouting reports, but he was viewed as cool as a cucumber, unflappable.

When he came up to Hamilton Don Lever said before his first professional playoff game he dozed off minutes

before the warmup, teammates were unsure if he was taking games seriously and he goes on a 2 month run

that culminates with a Calder Cup and an MVP.

So now he is supposed to be a fiery guy like Patrick Roy? Jesus, not every athlete is molded the same. Anybody

who has coached any level of sport will tell you that there are varying levels of personality and any one of them

can be a cold blooded killer on the field.

As for the sending the fans a message, it worked didn't it. It was beautiful. A stadium full of morons blasting a

21 year old who was not responsible for all the teams ails shot everybody back to the darkest day in this franchises

modern history. One gesture made his point.

Fans want arrogance when it involves a goaltender winking at an opponent or chasing down an opposing forward in

junior and telling him to shoot again, you will not score, but when he shows confidence in a situation where he is being

thrown under a bus the arrogance is not acceptable?

Please.

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It's all a bit silly. I don't know if anyone has ever heard of a goalie called Martin Brodeur? Known for being affable, smiling, relaxed, not seeming to take it all too seriously. What a loser.

I'm done with this whole Price debate. The kid's 21, he's had ups and downs, nothing is proven. I like the balls (and cool-headed awareness) he showed in telling the crowd to go stuff it, I liked his press conference, I love some of what he's shown since coming here, but he still has lots to learn. The kind of flak he's received is ridiculous. Just more of that Montreal scapegoating. Count me out.

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