This season has also had some off-ice challenges. In October 2021, Price voluntarily enrolled in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
He would later speak openly about his alcohol abuse and treatment experience, starting with a candid Instagram post that earned him huge support. Admitting his problem and seeking treatment for it had a particularly profound impact on Canada’s First Nations community, of which he is proud to be a member.
It was a difficult public admission for a man who guards his privacy but who, as the Canadiens’ most popular player, was larger than life in the eyes of his fans.
“Over the past few years, I let myself go to a very dark place and did not have the tools to deal with this struggle,” he wrote on November 9, 2021, after his release from a treatment center. “Things had reached a point where I realized I needed to prioritize my health, both for myself and my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our children to do, and that was what I had to do.
“I spend years neglecting my own mental health, which will take some time to recover from.”
Nearly six months later, after playing four games in the final days of the season, Price skated on the ice at the Bell Center on April 29, 2022, with the feeling that the end of his career might be near.
Coming Tuesday, Part 2: Price on his next chapter of life
