TORONTO – After an incredible performance sent his team through to the next round of the NHL playoffs, Carey Price was probably expecting some congratulations.
Instead, he got the silent treatment – for a couple of seconds, at least.
The Montreal Canadiens star netminder was pranked by his fellow Habs in the moments following their 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators Sunday night at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
READ MORE: Montreal Canadiens beat Ottawa Senators 2-0 in Game 6 to advance to second round
Video uploaded to the NHL’s YouTube account shows the team celebrating in the locker room as they wait for Price to finish his post-game interviews.
“Nobody talk to Pricey when he gets here,” Canadiens forward Brandon Prust tells his teammates as Price nears the dressing room.
The Canadiens goalie arrives shortly thereafter and begins to untie his pads, clearly a bit confused by a locker room that has the atmosphere of a funeral, not a playoff win.
For a few seconds, everyone is able to maintain their silence, before Price makes eye contact with forward Dale Weise.
“Yeah?” Weise asks quietly.
“Yeah!” Price responds, and the team mobs him in celebration.
The video has gone viral since it was posted late last night, racking up nearly 3,000 shares on the Montreal Canadiens facebook page alone and 100,000 views on YouTube as of this writing.
And it’s not the first time his fellow Habs have pulled a prank on the superstar goalie. When Price broke the all-time Montreal Canadiens record for wins in a single season earlier this month, teammate Alexei Emelin was there to meet him on the ice – with a faceful of shaving cream.
READ MORE: Habs goalie Carey Price chokes up after emotional meeting with B.C. boy
Price, nominated for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie and perhaps a candidate for most valuable player honours, rebounded after allowing five goals in game 5 with a masterful effort as Ottawa outshot the Canadiens 43-20.
The B.C. native has been the most dominant goaltender in professional hockey this past year, leading the NHL in every major goaltending statistic, including wins, save percentage and goals-against average.
“Advancing is such a great feeling but we have to be honest, we got some bounces tonight,” said Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. “They poured it on us pretty good, and Carey was a wall back there.”
–With files from the Associated Press
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