Once upon a time, when someone was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was because he was an outstanding player in every way. Trophies, big numbers, Stanley Cups, legendary performances; those things used to define a Hall of Famer.
Former Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood has three Cups and two Jennings trophies for the top save percentage in the league. He's the only goalie in NHL history with more than 400 wins and fewer than 250 losses. He's not in the Hall of Fame.
Andy Moog won three Cups with the '80s Oilers, as well as a Jennings, but was overshadowed by his tandem-mate, Grant Fuhr. He was not inducted into the Hall either.
Mike Richter brought the Rangers back as Cup champions in 1994, 54 years after their last title. He had a career save percentage over .900 and GAA under three. He's not in the Hall of Fame.
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As of today, June 22, 2026, Carey Price is a Hall of Famer. He was a good goaltender. He won a Vezina and a Hart trophy. He made some game-saving plays. He also made some boneheaded ones and he never won a Stanley Cup. If you compare his resume with those goalies who were inducted before him, it doesn't really hold up.
It feels like the standards of the Hall have been relaxed in the age of NHL parity. Teams don't win multiple Cups in a decade the way the Habs, Oilers and Islanders did. The opportunities for good players on mediocre teams to excel on awards day used to be limited, but now those chances are readily available. What used to be judged on how much a player's team benefited from having him in the lineup is now a celebration of the individual.
Price was the best player on a legendary team down on its luck during his career. His team exploits are negligible because the rest of the players just weren't up to scratch, but his personal triumphs outstrip what he did for the team as a whole. His elevation is emblematic of the shift in qualification for accolades.
One could even make the argument that Price's HoF credentials were plumped up by the team that drafted him high in the first round, protected him when his play was subpar and traded away Jaroslav Halak when he looked to be edging in on Price's "thoroughbred" status. Yet, when the playoff torch needed a bearer, Halak carried it...not Price.
If the standards of the Hall have changed, however, so have those of the Canadiens. Getting into the Hall of Fame without winning a championship wouldn't cut it for the current players. They...like Cole Caufield who thought scoring empty-net goals wasn't fair...expect more from themselves. They aim to win their honours fair and square and they want to deserve them.
The league and the Hall may accept the individual achievements of players, but these Canadiens are all about team and the ultimate team prize is the Stanley Cup. You have to think that would trump any individual awards up for grabs for most of them. We saw it when Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki won the Lady Byng and Selke trophies respectively this year and immediately gave credit to their teammates who helped get them to that level. Even Lane Hutson gave credit for his Calder win last year to his fellows. None of them were thinking "This might get me into the Hall of Fame," because they're expecting to bring home the big prize in the next few years.
In Price's case, there were few team honours to celebrate during his time in the NHL, so his personal achievements are his career highlights. You have to think the next generation of Habs wants more.
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Shea Weber is a Hall of Famer as well, but his resume is even thinner than Price's. He was a good, solid, versatile defenceman, but ten years from now, who'll remember him? Price might last longer in the collective hockey fan memory, but eventually, he too will fade into history. Those future fans who visit the Hall will see his plaque and wonder why he's there.
Without the hype around the Habs and the dearth of quality Team Canada goalies through the 2000s, Price would probably not have the image recognition it takes to get into today's Hall. If he'd been up for admission twenty years ago, he might have had to wait a few years, or not get in at all.
Celebrity has replaced performance in some ways these days.
Legends aren't what they used to be.
Still Carey Price will now have a jacket and ring to confirm he belongs in the ranks of the elite. Even if the standards have slipped, getting into the Hall of Fame still counts for something. It won't make up for the Cup he and Weber ruined their bodies to chase, but maybe it'll provide a little consolation.
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