Honorary UNBC doctorate for Habs goalie Carey Price

Carey Price’s trophy mantlepiece is loaded with hockey memories.

His brilliant career stopping pucks for a living made him champion at the world juniors (2007), the Olympics (2014) and World Cup (2016) and got him to the Stanley Cup final in 2021.

On Friday, with parents Lynda and Jerry watching from their front-row seats in the crowded Northern Sport Centre, the 36-year-old Price celebrated an entirely different achievement  - his presentation of an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from UNBC.

Dr. Price is the winningest goalie in Canadiens history, having won 361 of the team-record 712 regular season games he played from 2007-22, until his 15-year NHL career was cut short by a knee injury. He hasn’t officially announced his retirement but he knows he’ll never play another game with the Canadiens.

He told the university crowd how blessed he was to play for the Habs all those seasons, leading them into the playoffs 10 times, and said he was “incredibly proud,” whenever he had the chance to play for his country.

“I get asked quite often what my favourite memory is and at first I would point out the achievements, but as I’ve had more time to reflect on that it’s much more than that,” Price said. “It’s the loving support of my family, it’s the friendships I’ve made, the people I’ve been able to help and most certainly the people who have helped me along the way.

“It was the absolute thrill of victory and the utter devastation of defeat. It was rising up from that defeat and making myself better because of it. It was the journey, in its entirely.”

Price played minor hockey in Wiliams Lake, 312 kilometres away from his home in Anahim Lake, and his father Jerry bought a private plane to cut short those five-hour highway trips during the winter. Jerry, a goalie in the Western Canada Hockey League with Calgary and Portland, was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1978 and went on to play four seasons of pro hockey.

Carey and his wife Angela have three kids – daughters Liv and Millie, eight and five respectively, and three-year-old son Lincoln. He said he might get into coaching hockey, but not right away.

“I’m a father of three kids under eight years old so I’ve got a PhD in patience right now,” Price said. “My children are at an age now where the time is precious to me. Coaching takes a lot of time, so I’m just going to enjoy being a father for the time being.

“I spent a lifetime working at playing hockey and being a goaltender but I’ve also spent a good portion of my life just trying to be a gentleman and it’s nice to be recognized for that.”

Kelowna and the Okanagan is home to many retired NHL players. Some are Price’s former teammates and like Price they also have young families.

“There’s quite a few guys there and I was thinking that with me not playing hockey I’d been out hanging with my buddies all the time, go golfing, but I don’t see anybody anymore, we’ve all got kids,” he laughed. “I do miss going out to play the game of hockey and I wouldn’t mind being abled to go out and score a couple goals, that would be fun. Obviously, I’m still under contract so I’ve got to be careful with what I’m doing.”

Price has Ulkatcho-Southern Carrier Indigenous heritage and his mother Lynda is chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation. She is also a UNBC graduate who earned her degree in First Nations studies.

“I actually came up and spent some time with her here (in Prince George) when she was going (to UNBC) and it’s special to come here and spend this moment with my mom,” he said. “She’s very supportive. She’s a leader by example and I really appreciate here support.

“My mom was the catalyst for me. I always did well in school and it’s important to get a good education and really dedicate yourself to it. It’s an important life skill to learn. Education is everything.”

UNBC chancellor Darlene McIntosh, a Lheidli T’enneh elder, presented Price with his honourary degree.

“It was special to come here and speak with the students, I’m obviously thankful for UNBC inviting me to come here and I’m incredibly honoured for the degree and I got to spend some time up here with my mom and dad and we all had fun together,” said Price.

Price, a converted defenceman, was still playing midget hockey in Williams Lake when he was called up to the Quesnel Millionaires for an 18-game B.C. Hockey League stint in 2002-03. He went on to play five seasons in the Western Hockey League for the Tri-City Americans.

Chosen fifth overall by Montreal in the 2005 NHL draft, Price said he had his hockey future mapped out at an early age and never considered going the NCAA college route.

“I always knew if I didn’t make it in hockey I would have schooling paid for (by his WHL scholarship),” said Price, who will be inducted this year into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame.

He said he wouldn’t rule out going back to school.

“There’s things that definitely interest me,” he said.