Former Montreal Canadiens Goaltender Carey Price to be Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee met in downtown Toronto on Monday to debate, and vote, on who should be part of their 2026 class, with the induction ceremony officially set for Monday, November 9th.

Last June, a little over three years after playing his last game in the National Hockey League, former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price became eligible for induction. Unfortunately for Price and Canadiens fans, he didn't hear his name called in his first year of eligibility. While it was a bit of a letdown for everyone involved, fans of the Montreal Canadiens got some good news on Monday.

Carey Price named to 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame Class

On Monday afternoon, Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis stood at the podium in the Esso Great Hall and announced the six newest members that'll be enshrined later this year and in his second year of eligibility, Carey Price got his Call to the Hall.

Price, who turns 39 in August, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for being part of the Class of 2026 when speaking with Ron Francis, along with Hockey Hall of Fame Chair of the Board Mike Gartner in a phone call earlier today.

"Thanks guys. I wasn't prepared for that," an emotional Carey Price said. "I am incredibly honoured you guys, thank you so much. Thank you for the call. I can't wait to call my parents and talk to my family about that."

While Carey Price might not have gotten his name on the Stanley Cup during his playing career, the Anahim Lake, British Columbia native had a very successful career, both in the NHL and internationally, which unfortunately came to an end early in April 2022 due to issues with his knee.

Carey Price's rise to stardom in the NHL

Two weeks after the National Hockey League emerged from their season-long lockout in 2005, the Montreal Canadiens landed the fifth overall pick in the draft. There was plenty of debate on who the Canadiens should have selected, but ultimately General Manager Bob Gainey decided to take Carey Price, a goaltender from the Western Hockey League's Tri-City Americans.

Price was coming off an impressive year in Tri-City, appearing in 63 where he had a 2.34 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and eight shutouts. After two more seasons with the Tri-City Americans, Price made the jump to professional hockey with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs right before the start of the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs.

After two strong starts in the regular season, Price served as Hamilton's starting goaltender for the entirety of the Calder Cup Playoffs and led the club to the title while putting up an impressive 2.06 goals against average and .936 save percentage in 22 games.

Price's time in the American Hockey League was fairly short and aside from ten games with Hamilton the following season, he took the next step in his career and joined the Canadiens full-time during the 2007-08 campaign.

From that moment onward, aside from the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was Carey Price's crease in Montreal. In 15 seasons with the Canadiens, Price appeared in 712 games and holds the franchise record for most wins by a goaltender with 361, passing Jacques Plante, who had 314 victories to his name, on March 12th, 2019 against the Detroit Red Wings. Price finished his NHL career with a 361-261-79 record, a 2.51 goals against average, a .917 save percentage and 49 shutouts.

During his time in the National Hockey League, Price was a seven-time All Star. Following a stellar 2014-15 campaign, he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender, Hart Trophy as league's most valuable player, Ted Lindsay Trophy, William M. Jennings Trophy and was a First Team All-Star.

Golden for Canada on numerous occasions

Internationally, Carey Price was the backbone of Team Canada in several major tournament, starting with the 2004 U-18 Junior World Cup, now known as the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where he sported a 1.26 GAA and .940 save percentage enroute to a gold medal.

In December 2006, many fans across the globe got their first chance to watch Carey Price when he suited up for Canada at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. Team Canada couldn't ask much more from Price in that tournament - 6-0 record, 1.14 GAA, .961 save percentage, two shutouts, leading them to a gold medal, their third consecutive World Junior gold.

Price had to wait seven years to wear the Maple Leaf once again as he was named to Canada's roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. If Price's two previous tournaments with Hockey Canada were any indication, fans were in for a treat at the Winter Games. In five games, Price had five wins, a 0.59 GAA, .972 save percentage and two shutouts as Canada won back-to-back gold medals at the Winter Olympics.

Two years later, Price got his final opportunity to play for his nation as the National Hockey League revived the World Cup of Hockey. Canada cruised through the group stage, with Price stopping 54 of 56 shots he faced and he shut out the Czech's in their tournament opener. In the playoff round, Price stood tall in a tough semifinal test against Russia before downing Team Europe in the best-of-three final.

Carey Price's legacy lives on in Montreal

For those who had the privilege of watching Carey Price night in, night out, he was one of the best of his generation and was destined to be a Hockey Hall of Famer. By virtue of being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Price will also see his name enter the Montreal Canadiens' Ring of Honour, which is the top of upper level at the Bell Centre.

With his induction into the Hall of Fame, there's going to be plenty of talk about whether his number 31 should be raised to the rafters at the Bell Centre in the near future. If I had any say, my answer would be a resounding yes.