At What Price the Hall

   

    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.

 

The Moments

    

     The 2025-26 NHL playoffs were a wild ride for your boys in bleu, blanc et rouge. The charged atmosphere at the Bell Centre, the excitement and youth of the players determined to push farther than they did last year and the absolute fun they offered for the whole season made this year one for the scrapbook. (As opposed to the many seasons since the last Cup that were more suited for the scrap heap.)

    You know how it is when you go on vacation or plan a big event? Your senses are like a kaleidoscope; swirling and colourful, composing a series of pictures you hold in your memory and draw down whenever you think of that vacation or event in the future. Nobody's pictures of this playoff run will be exactly the same, but the feeling they create is what joins us together as fans.

    So, for what it's worth, here are ten of the top moments to remember from this post-season:

10. Alex Newhook. The pride of St.John's, Newfoundland has shown he can put the puck in the net and moves with blazing speed but nobody really expected he'd end up being one of the heroes of the post-season for Montreal. However, with two Game Seven series winners...one in OT...Newhook proved there's some jam in his game, and he can be a clutch player. If Kent Hughes was wondering whether the deal he made for Newhook was a good one, he got some assurances from the player this spring.

9. Hutson Assists Dobes. This moment stood out because its originality and quick thinking were absolutely emblematic of Lane Hutson's game. There was Jakub Dobes in Game Seven against Buffalo, stretched out in a half split, desperately trying to hold his skate tight to the post as a couple of big Sabres hacked away at him. Hutson, recognizing Dobes was having trouble, smartly dropped down into the net behind his goalie and used both hands to push Dobes' pad and help him close the gap between skate and post. It was a unique and savvy play by a young player who's earning those descriptors anew in every game.

8. Slafkovsky Hatty. Juraj Slafkovsky was the first overall pick in the 2022 draft and was booed by some unhappy critics at the Bell Centre who wanted Shane Wright instead. Slafkovsky told everyone that day that he hoped people would like him eventually. He's been working on developing the power forward game Hughes had envisioned before committing to him, and his breakout party came in Game One of the first round against Tampa. His three power play goals, including the OT winner, marked the first time in Habs history a player has done that on the road. Slafkovsky served notice he's growing into his size and skill and and at just 22, he's already a force. Shane who?

7. Dobes Being Dobes. Jacob Fowler has been touted as the Habs goalie of the future and at 21 years of age, there's nothing to say he won't be the starter when it's time for the Canadiens to compete for a Cup. Dobes, however, has made it known the job will not be Fowler's by anointing. Dobes is one of the biggest reasons the Canadiens got as far as they did in the post season, and he did it with inimical style and humour. When he went to the wrong net in his first playoff OT, it was funny. When he play-fought with Arber Xhekaj in the crease after a win, and when he stood at centre ice wide-eyed and smiling as the Bell Centre crowd screamed his name it was entertaining. And when he gave an interview, he was spectacularly honest. He also proved he's nobody's patsy and will defend his space as needed.

6. The Wolf Hat. It was silly, it was (probably) smelly and it wasn't pretty, but it was an important talisman binding the group together. The message that the team was as tight as a wolf pack was one coach Marty St.Louis pushed all season and the players bought into it wholeheartedly.

5. Gallagher's Goal. It's never easy to see a player whose entire career you've witnessed coming down the other side of the pro hockey hill. It was very tough for him to be a healthy scratch. He's a proud player who's been a leader and contributor for more than a decade, but he tried to stay positive for the sake of his young teammates on an important playoff run. So when he finally got the call to suit up, he was more than ready. The last goal of Gallagher's Canadiens career in Game Five against Tampa opened the scoring and led to a critical win. The only ones happier for him were his teammates.

4. Hutson's Shot. Hutson has faced a lot of doubt in his young career. First he was too small to make the NHL at all. Then he was too offensively-minded and allegedly didn't play strong enough defence. Then he was okay on defence, but his shot was lacking. Well, not anymore. Hutson said he'd spend last summer working on his shot and boy, did he ever! Game Three OT against Tampa, the puck came to Hutson on the blue line and he absolutely wired it for the winner. Hutson may have arrived last September, but his shot arrived on April 24, 2026.

3. Dobes Pie. This was a silly little moment after Dobes stood on his head to close out the Tampa series. Sam Montembeault, who lost his job to Dobes this year and hadn't played since March, surprised Dobes with a post-game shaving cream pie to the face. And while it was silly, it also said a lot about the guys who only got to watch the games from the press box. That even the scratches were part of the team shenanigans was good for the morale of the whole group.

2. The Church. The Montreal fans got some flack for being crazily over-the-top in showing their love for their team, but you have to admire the Catholic church that hosted watch parties for fans. And the guy who changed the name of his restaurant to Dobes. And the 20-thousand-plus who stood outside to watch every home game and inside for every road one. Yes, Montreal fans are devoted, loud and likely a little bit crazy, but they make the Canadiens' experience different than what most other teams offer.

1. Josh Anderson. When these playoffs come to mind in the future, Josh Anderson will loom large. Very large. As in Powerhorse large. The value to a team of a player who can flip a mental switch and ramp up his game to a whole new level is immeasurable. Anderson was everywhere all post-season long. He hit everything that moved (and some that didn't...including the goal post how many times?) He scored important goals and killed penalties. He was a force and if young Florian Xhekaj wants to make an impact in the NHL, he can learn a lot from Mr.Anderson.

Honourable mention: The Aftermath. Although the players were hard on themselves during some tough losses this season, they're not letting the self-flagellation continue into the offseason. With players going to concerts and sports events together, even hanging out with St.Louis, they're nurturing the spirit they'll need when they come back next year and push to go farther than they did this season. When kids like Ivan Demidov and Alexander Zharovsky (where's Hutson and who hogtied him?) are already on the ice before June is even over, they're showing they want to be part of that climb too. The future is arriving way more quickly than we could have imagined and it is good.

Draft Day is Coming

     

    Every year, on NHL draft day, young men in new suits sit anxiously with their parents in stiff-backed arena seats, waiting for older men in more expensive suits to decide their fates. Some wait for hours before hearing their names called. Some leave in tears of disappointment. The first-rounders have been wined and dined, measured and tested, and their wait is a short one. They're the kids with the highest chance of making the pros. They're also the ones who'll forever carry the "bust" label if they don't get there. Watching at home, Terry Ryan has flashbacks.

     The draft, for him, isn't just a great memory. It's the highlight of his pro hockey career, even if it didn't work out the way he'd hoped it would.
    "A lot of people would say it's a whirlwind and they don't remember," he smiles. "I remember every second of it. I remember walking down out of my seat. The first thing I did was look over at my buddy, my linemate, Daymond Langkow, who had just gone fifth overall to Tampa Bay. I was walking up to the podium (as the eighth overall pick) and we made eye contact and nothing was really said. We were just smiling, and it was a really weird moment."

    "It was kind of like a baseball player getting drafted and going to the Yankees. I think if I'd gone to the Nashville Predators, or to Columbus...not to knock those teams, but...it wouldn't have...I didn't have time that day to accept that I was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens."

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    Ryan knew he was going to go high in the first round. His stock had been rising fast during his draft year. It was, he recalls, a perfect season. He had 110 points in 70 games, and most of the pro teams were knocking on his door.
    "I know I could have played my whole career in the NHL," he reflects now. "All those scouts weren't wrong. At the same time, I also know everything has to go right. There's a bit of luck in this. There's a lot of injuries in hockey. If you get injured in your draft year, you're behind the eight-ball right away. You have to be put with good players. You have to be in the right environment. Your schooling has to be going right. All those things went right in my draft year."
    The Bruins, choosing ninth overall, had been in contact. They assured Ryan they'd pick him in the first round. Other teams called too. The Washington Capitals flew him and some other prospects down south and put them through three hours of I.Q. tests and physical training. The Oilers flew them back up north and tested them again. There was no question Ryan would become the highest-ever NHL draft pick from Newfoundland. The only thing left to wonder about on draft day was how high he'd go, and which team would own him.
    He never dreamed he'd be chosen by his favourite NHL team, and, even as a cocky kid minutes away from hearing his name called, had no reason to think the Habs were his destiny.
    "I was in the elevator on the way to my seat with my dad and a couple of more, and Doug Robinson, who was the head scout for Montreal. Montreal was one of the only teams that didn't interview me at all. Nothing. So, I didn't really expect to talk to them. San Jose was picking twelfth and they told me they were picking me," Ryan remembers. 

    "So, anyway, in the elevator, the draft was just starting and I was actually late to my seat. Doug Robinson said "Congrats on a good year. Western Hockey League power forward. I like to see that." I said, "Thanks Mr.Robinson. I think a lot of your organization." And on the way off the elevator he said, "Congrats on a good Memorial Cup." 

    "And I said, "Jeez, I didn't play in the Memorial Cup." So, I went a little closer to try and get a read on him, and I said, "Okay, Mr.Robinson, I'll see you." And he said, "Okay, thanks Shane." So, fifteen minutes before they drafted me, the Canadiens thought I was Shane Doan, by appearance."

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    The team got the name right when the Canadiens staff took the podium to announce the eighth overall pick. Terry Ryan was overwhelmed. He'd been taken by his favourite team in the first round, and life couldn't have been better. He says now, that's as good as it got. 

    Ryan spent the next year back in junior where he had a decent season, despite some injury problems. During the following campaign, the second after his draft, he finally got the phone call of his dreams and made his NHL debut. It didn't work out the way dreams are supposed to.
    "The guys who drafted me got fired," he recalls. "I was a long shot for them. I wasn't the best skater. I had a lot of character. And I could score. But the times I was called up, it was because someone was hurt, it wasn't because they wanted me." 

    "I got maybe three shifts a game. In the minors, I was rookie of the year. I had 20 goals, I lead the league in fights. Everything I was doing in the minors was, if not on pace, then above expectations from what anybody thought."

    At the NHL level, Ryan ran into head coach Michel Therrien and they didn't get along.

    "Years later, I look back and I'm not as bitter as I was. At the time, I was pretty upset. I was getting called up, getting one shift and I'd fight Tie Domi. I'd do it. I'd fight these guys because I wanted to make the most of my opportunity. There were over ten games in the NHL when I didn't even get one shift, and they don't even count as a game played. That happens to a lot of people."

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    After the first few games in the NHL, injuries struck. First, concussions, then a busted ankle. Frustrated at never getting a real shot with the Canadiens, Ryan took his agent, Mike Barnett's, advice and sat out training camp. He never played in the NHL again. He's not bitter now, but getting past the feeling of being a disappointment to himself and his family was a long trip down a bumpy road.
    "It was hard at first," Ryan admits. "It's a long story. I got to see the world from the other side for a while, and it was wild. I was the biggest prospect in Newfoundland. I was talked about as the best player on the island. I had all those things going for me."

    "When I got hurt, I felt like I let the whole province down. It took a while. I got divorced the same year I was told I couldn't play anymore. I put on sixty pounds and went on a reality show and lost it. It was a long, long, long story. It was hard to deal with, but at the same time, my dad, who played pro hockey, said, "Hey, you could have got injured when you were 14 or 15. But you played in the NHL. You played for the Canadiens.""
    That's what matters to Ryan now. He regrets skipping that last training camp, but he's come to terms with the way his NHL career panned out...or didn't. And he's still a Habs fan.
    "Recently, in the last couple of years, I've flown up and gone to the Habs games, and you're reminded when you go to the building. There's six or seven hundred names there outside. The players. I was one of them. When you think about it like that, it's kind of mind blowing," he muses.
    "One thing I would tell young players is there's so much more than the NHL. There's so many opportunities, and the small percentage that make the NHL...they're to be commended and looked up to. But there are a lot of avenues that young players can take. I look at my whole experience as "Wow! This all happened to me!" And I can't believe it," Ryan marvels now, decades after he became a first rounder. "The draft ended up being the highlight of my career. That and my first NHL game. Those things still happened and they were still great."
    These days, Ryan does some acting, podcasting and stand-up comedy. He's a father and also the author of "Tales of a First Round Nothing," his autobiography. The book's title is tongue-in-cheek because Ryan knows a lot of fans write him off as a failure.

    However, when Terry Ryan watches the draft now, he can still feel those teenage emotions; the hope, trepidation and wonder of it all. The thing he feels most now is quiet satisfaction. His NHL career was short...only eight games...but in the big picture, he knows he made it after all.

Blessing For a Warrior Going Out

         

     In the ancient days of Celtic lore, a warrior leaving home to fight battles elsewhere would kneel at the feet of his elders and accept a blessing, calling on the earth, the elements and the gods to protect him and ensure his timely return. One such traditional blessing goes:

    "We bathe your palms

    In the showers of wine,

    In the crook of the kindling,

    In the seven elements,

    In the sap of the tree,

    In the milk of honey,

    We place nine pure, choice gifts

    In your clear beloved face:

    The gift of form,

    The gift of voice,

    The gift of fortune,

    The gift of goodness,

    The gift of eminence,

    The gift of charity,

    The gift of integrity,

    The gift of true nobility,

    The gift of apt speech."

    In the realm of the Montreal Canadiens, nobody has a bigger heart, more devotion to the sweater or is a tougher warrior than Brendan Gallagher. From the first time he suited up in Habs colours, he threw himself into the fray every night with everything he had. The fresh-faced kid...an undersized fifth-round draft pick...burst onto the scene with a homing pigeon's instinct for the net, a willingness to take more physical punishment than a red-white-and-blue pinata and a shit-eating grin that drove opponents crazy.

    He evolved from goofy, energetic rookie to battle-hardened, bloody-nosed competitor. He became a team leader and role model for the young Canadiens who are now trying to build themselves into a championship winner. He's been, as an Irish mom would say, "Like the capelin: all guts."

    Gallagher grew from boy to man in Montreal. His teammates surrounded him and held him up after the death of his mother. He married and became a father as a Canadien. Never did he forget the importance of the team to his adopted city.

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    A few years ago, Gallagher and the Canadiens came to Newfoundland to play in the Hockeyville exhibition game the NHL holds each year. The team had chartered three buses to transport the players and all their gear to the rink.

    Gallagher arrived on the first bus, and there was already a gang of kids there, anxiously waiting for a glimpse of their heroes. Many players smiled and waved as they passed through the crowd to the arena doors, but number 11 stopped. He signed every hand, sweater, photo and scrap of paper shoved at him. He posed for dozens of photos with young fans and took the time to ask them about their own hockey teams. He was genuinely nice to every person he met.

    Once inside, Gallagher was one of the two players (Cole Caufield was the other) who handled the media availability. Arena staff hauled out a couple of wooden boxes so the vertically challenged duo could see over the heads of all the camera people. Gally stayed until every reporter got what he or she needed before heading for the dressing room to suit up. After practice, there he was again, patiently answering some of the same questions from another group of hacks.

    There was no question, at that time, that Gallagher was the heart and soul veteran of the team who would do anything asked of him.

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    Fast forward to today. As hard as Gallagher smiled at his first training camp, he cried just as hard when announcing he's leaving his hockey home. After becoming a healthy scratch toward the end of the season, he barely saw ice in the playoffs.

    With the realization that the coaching staff obviously doesn't feel he's got anything more to give, Gally is facing a new reality he's seen up close in teammates who left before him. He thinks of himself as still having something left in the tank, even if Habs management doesn't agree. He sounds, like any warrior would, as though he still has something to prove to the people who don't want him anymore.

    Canadiens fans wish the player and the person a chance to give it one more shot. If anyone deserves a new start, it's Gallagher.

    "Gallagher is a player on Montreal that I admire," said the late Claude Lemieux. "He plays a lot of the same game I played. Especially for a player of his size he plays with tenacity. He's physical, he's in your face and he won't back down. Players that have that character will go far in the playoffs."

    Gallagher didn't get to repeat the Habs run to the Finals in 2021 and, if he goes to Vancouver as he's suggested is a possibility, a Stanley Cup is probably not in his future. Still, for a guy who statistically should never even have seen 14 NHL regular seasons, he's got of lot of which to be proud.

    As he walks away from the Canadiens' room for the last time, he should know all of Montreal and fans everywhere send him off with a warrior's blessing.