Canadiens' Carey Price reveals recent struggles with alcoholism

[The Arrogant Worms]

https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-canadiens-carey-price-details-battle-with-alcoholism-152314082.html

 

 

 

Montreal Canadiens superstar goaltender Carey Price has finally shed some light on the issues that led him to seek help and step away from hockey last season.

In an interview with The Athletic's Arpon Basu,

 

Price spoke about his struggle with alcoholism that drove him to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program just over a year ago.

 

"I think after we lost in the (2021) Finals and coming close to a goal and having a surgery, and knowing I'm right on the 18th hole (of my career) here, I was not a happy person, I wasn't being a good father. I was drinking a lot," Price said. "I just got to a point where I was like, 'I'm not even having fun doing this.' Like, 'what am I doing?' I felt like I was getting to a point in my life where I had to make a decision."

 

That point came in early October, when the 35-year-old decided he had to make a change and get help.

 

"It would have been Oct. 3, and waking up, I was in a pretty bad place," he told Basu. "And I was just like, you know what? This isn't working for me; it's not working for my family."

By the following Thursday on Oct. 7, Price had voluntarily admitted himself into a residential rehabilitation facility.

 

Basu gave Price the opportunity to avoid the topic in their interview, but the Vancouver native was eager to talk about it.

 

"I think most of it, I see it in sports and high stress positions, there's a lot of pressure on athletes these days, I think even more so with social media, media attention, you're always under the microscope," he said. "And I think no matter how good you are at dealing with it, it's still a weight on your mind, the pressure to perform.

 

"It's not easy to do that day in, day out. Yeah, it's a fun job, but you're still doing a job and having to perform at a peak level every day. It's something that you strive to do as an athlete, you enjoy doing it, but it's not particularly easy to do, especially when things aren't going well."

 

The 2015 Hart and Vezina Trophy winner had to adapt to a new lifestyle and take on new challenges in the months following his rehab.

 

"Once I left the facility, it's something new, you're excited about it. But that next six months, I felt like it was on my mind a lot, I was thinking about it a lot," Price said. "Not to say I was ready to jump off the wagon, but I can see why the success rate, it's not that great. But I look at my kids every day and to be able to not be wasting mornings of my life anymore and able to wake up on Sunday morning and cook my kids pancakes is something very fulfilling to me."

 

Price also understands the importance of speaking publicly about his alcoholism, and the impact the conversation can have on First Nations communities in particular — a group he holds near and dear as a descendant of the Ulkatcho First Nation.

 

"Substance abuse has been a very big issue in First Nations communities. I've had friends and family that have passed away from it," he said. "So, I could have done this privately. Nobody ever would have known about it. But at the end of the day, I wanted to be able to show it's OK to ask for help."

 

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Price shed light on his current injury status and his uncertain playing future.

 

"We'll have to take it step by step. I don’t have a plan to retire right at this moment," Price said. "Right now, my goal is just to be pain-free from day to day. I’m still having some issues getting up and down stairs and carrying my kids up and down stairs is difficult. So my first priority is just to get my body pain-free in just day-to-day living.

"There's that outside hope of a miracle happening, that maybe I could come back out and play at some point."

[thrago]

Depression is the root cause of most addictions if not all, even in professional athletes.  Carey is lucky in the sense that he can take time off and get the help he needs, which is unfortunately not the case for most people.  Hope he gets better/feels better soon. 

Edited October 26, 2022 by thrago

[nergish]

Gotta feel for Carey.

Obviously he has had a tremendous career, but anyone who knows anything about goaltending knows this was supposed to be THE guy. His career was supposed to have amounted to more.

 

This was the Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby of goaltending, and he simply has not lived that experience. 

Obviously he's revered in Montreal (his mural is on the side of the Bell Centre), but playing behind so many poor teams for so many years ultimately just wasted his potential.

 

An entire generation of young goaltenders have been coached to play like Carey Price, his impact on the game and the way it's taught is immeasurable. He should be immensely proud of what he's accomplished for this game, but you know he wanted more.

[JM_]

Good for him for speaking up, it might help a few others to find the help they need. 

[Devron]

These stories are important and need to be shared. As a person who struggles with anxiety/depression and had struggled addiction, I am very grateful to have people like Carey come forward. Acceptance is an absolutely huge step forward. 
 

One of my all time favourite players 

[cripplereh]

That is a big deal and hope he gets the help he needs.Horrible that happens in life so all the best to him and his family.

[King Heffy]

Hell of a hockey player and a hell of a guy for choosing to open up and help others through his example.

[Coconuts]

Props to him, speaking out isn't an easy thing to do for a lot of people. Particularly when you're a public figure like Price. 

[Sharpshooter]

Clearly been watching Canuck games. 
 

However, in all seriousness, I’m glad he took the time to speak out and get help. 
 

Back to my poor attempts at humour: