The Montreal Canadiens will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, in what will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated games in recent memory. One of the major talking points among fans and commentators in this series will be the goaltending duel between Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevsky and Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who are widely regarded as the top goaltenders in the world.
Based on some very strongly worded comments he made about Carey Price today, it appears like Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois would agree with at least half of that assessment. On Sunday, BriseBois, who worked in the Canadiens' front office for numerous years, was questioned about Price, and to say he lavished praise on the Habs goalie would be an understatement. BriseBois stated flatly that, in his perspective, Price has already earned a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame when he retires, regardless of how the rest of his career unfolds.
One might easily argue that neither club would be in their current situation without their respective great goaltender between the pipes, but whether correct or incorrect, I get the sensation that there is substantially more weight on Price's shoulders in this series. The Canadiens are a massive underdog in this series, and many believe that Price will have to steal the series for the Canadiens to win their first championship in nearly 30 years.
