National Post columnist Bruce Arthur's piece on the growth of Carey Price in the past year is a prime example of sportswriting at its best... Not merely good, it's great.
Oh, we can be a demanding bunch, we Habs fans, and pleasing us is no easy task.
Fixing us may be near impossible, but still, some hardy types try:
It is a hell of a thing to want, really. There may be no more difficult or pressure-filled job in team sports — some quarterback, maybe, or the closer for the Yankees, or some such thing. But being the goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens is for icons. You will be measured against Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden and Roy. You won’t be measured against Cristobal Huet.
And when Montreal drafted the B.C. native with the fifth-overall pick in the 2005 draft, the aim was clear. Nobody spends their highest pick in 20 years on someone like Huet. Price is only expected to be great.
“Carey’s been outstanding for us this season — he’s given us a chance to win every night,” Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said. “We expect the same thing in the playoffs.”
When Price was booed in that pre-season game it was a reminder that Canadians can take their hockey too seriously, and that Montreal fans take it the most seriously of all. It was a reminder that being the goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens is a religious position, and it is not hard to get crucified. But those afternoons at Brossard showed a kid who just wanted to play hockey, to feel the ice under his skates. You have to love the game to want to be a saviour.
“Yeah, that’s a job that he handles really well,” Montreal defenceman Hal Gill said. “It’s a tough spot that he’s put in a lot of nights, and we try to support him as much as we can, but it’s tough. The media and the city, they ask a lot of him.”
They ask everything. And now, Carey Price has another chance to give it to them.
Seriously, do yourself a favour and read the rest here.
Believe me, it has nothing at all to do with hockey and everything to do with fame, expectations and pressure. Bruce Arthur is a very good writer.

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