After thanking all those who helped pave his Hockey Hall of Fame career with the Montreal Canadiens and Team Canada, Price came to his family in the front row of the theatre in Toronto, his wife and mother of three, Angela, and his parents, his voice cracking.
asserted
voice → thank → three
Lynda and Jerry had put so much time into his goaltending career, with Jerry buying a small plane to get him to games and practices from the remote B.C. town of Anahim Lake.
asserted
Jerry → put → Lake
Lynda infused him with pride in his indigenous background, she a former Ulkatcho First Nation chief.
asserted
she → infuse → background
The Habs’ great made a vague reference to his time in the National Hockey League/Players Association Assistance Program, near the end of his stellar career, with an alcohol problem.
asserted
great → make → problem
“I’m not a perfect person.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
But lastly and most importantly, I‘d like to thank the good Lord for his forgiveness and the blessings he’s bestowed upon my life.
asserted
he → like → life
Of course there was a shout-out to his Montreal fan base, who’ve invaded Toronto through induction weekend.
asserted
who → be → weekend
Price said he once dreamed of walking through the Bell Centre and coming upon a statue of predecessor Patrick Roy.
asserted
he → say → Roy
“To the biggest Habs’ fan, which is the only Habs’ fan I’ve ever met, thank you.”
asserted
I → meet → you
Price officially entered the Hall on Monday with fellow netminder Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators and Finnish national team, Keith Tkachuk, Patrice Bergeron, American women’s star Cindy Curley and in the builder’s category, Brian Burke.
asserted
Price → enter → category
Burke spent much of his speech taking good-natured shots at those who tried to discourage his playing career, including Lou Lamoriello at Providence College, who’d would later be an NHL executive peer.
asserted
who → spend → College
“Thanks a lot, coach,” Burke said as he smiled in his direction.
asserted
he → say → direction
Burke did win a Calder Cup with the Maine Mariners, but never appeared in an NHL game.
asserted
Burke → win → game
He did take Lou’s advice about Harvard Law School, channelling it into a start in player agency, then GM Pat Quinn’s assistant in Vancouver.
asserted
He → take → Vancouver
“Pat taught me how to run a team with integrity, backbone – and a little bit of functional hostility.”
asserted
Pat → teach → hostility
Then came his NHL post under new commissioner Gary Bettman and his own gigs in Vancouver, Anaheim, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Calgary.
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post → come → Vancouver
While a picture of he and Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin at the 1999 draft was shown on Monday, Burke’s signature player coup of trade and draft, he noted “I told them that rookies should be seen and not heard.
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rookies → show → them
They didn’t say a damn word for four years.
asserted
They → say → years
Who did Tkachuk thank in his speech?
Tkachuk mentioned just about everyone in the NHL and Olympic phonebook.
asserted
Tkachuk → thank → phonebook
There was Mike Smith who influenced his start in Winnipeg, cousin and NHL rival Tom Fitzgerald, Jets teammate Ed Olczyk, who first tagged him ‘Big Walt’, Burke, who once cut him from the U.S. Olympic team and the Blues Larry Pleau who “suspended me, traded me and got me back’.
asserted
who → be → me
“That’s the gift of hockey.
asserted
That → ’ → hockey
He also saved his most touching comments for his family in the audience, crediting much of his scrappy DNA from his parents, John and Gerry.
asserted
He → save → parents
She raised four boisterous kids, his father serving two tours of duty in Vietnam before becoming a Boston-area fire fighter.
asserted
father → raise → Vietnam
“Mom taught us to be respectful, but don’t take crap from anyone,” Keith said, adding she was thrilled her boy was now in the Hall with one of her favourite players, Canadiens’ legend Jean Beliveau.
“
asserted
boy → teach → players
While his newsworthy sons Matthew and Brady were allowed to leave the Florida Panthers for his big night, Keith made sure to mention their sister Taryn “who probably has the smartest hockey mind of all” and just started her career in the league’s event office.
asserted
who → allow → office
The Aporia
