Carey Price met with the media to provide an update on his situation Monday noon. He talked about pain, operations, his career, the small daily pleasures away from the ice. One would have thought he was speaking in the past tense.
Posted yesterday at 4:28 p.m.
At the same time, in a locker room a few meters away, at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, Marc-André Fleury, two years his senior, was preparing to jump on the ice for practice with the Minnesota Wild.
At 37, the Quebec goalkeeper realizes how lucky he is to always be healthy.
“There aren’t many of my age anymore. It’s weird to say that! exclaimed Fleury in a post-practice press scrum.
“It makes me consider that I am lucky to do this. I know it’s over, I have to enjoy what I do and have fun every day. »
Fleury is currently playing the 19e season of his career, a rarity in professional sports. Of course, the body is sometimes “stiffer” than before, but “nothing serious enough” to prevent him from continuing to live from his passion.
Even if he has, by his own admission, only very rarely crossed the goalkeeper of the Canadian, the Sorelois seemed really compassionate towards him.
“For me, Carey is a great goaltender,” he said. It sucks, it’s sad to see that’s what’s stopping him… for now, you never know. But it’s not his decision, it’s not because he’s bad.
“I’ve always loved watching him play. The pressure that comes with all that is not easy. He handled the pressure of being here really well. […] I wish him the best. »
The benefits of experience
Fleury, like his team, is having a difficult start to the season. In his first four periods of the season, Fleury flinched 11 times, forcing head coach Dean Evason to pull him out of the net.
“It looks like there is nothing that worked, he launched on this subject. The more it came in, the angrier I got. Guys too. We tightened the stick a little more. We played more cursed, and not relaxed. It’s hard to be successful for that. »
For me, it’s important to be relaxed and have fun. That’s how I play best.
Marc-Andre Fleury
Things went much better in the next two games. He notably blocked 39 shots in an overtime loss to the Boston Bruins. Still, he has a .847 save percentage and a 5.25 goals-against average after four starts. Not exactly typical numbers for the goaltender who ranks third in NHL history for wins.
“I hadn’t looked! “, he launched, smiling at the mention of these statistics. “Every time I’ve been through something difficult, it’s always a motivation, for pride, to go over it and go win the next one. To prove to myself that I can still make the saves. »
Ultimately, this is not Fleury’s first barbecue. After 943 games in the NHL, he has the experience to make sense of things.
“After doing it a couple of times, you know you can get through those times. I think that one was more difficult for everyone around, for the team too, because it’s the start of the season. We have confidence in the team, but nothing worked. We were getting washed.
“If it had been in January, you say to yourself: it’s a bad game, we’re moving on. But I think it’s all a bit more serious [en début de saison]. »
For those who question his place in the Bettman circuit as he approaches his 38th birthday – he will celebrate his birthday on November 28 – know that he does not worry too much.
“At every difficult moment, my age has often been questioned. I have to be ready to deal with this and understand. Also because of my age, I have experience to help me mentally. »