The Canadian Press
Jonas Siegel
TORONTO—It seems like madness now but six years ago, a fiery debate about the future of the Canadiens’ crease raged in Montreal.
Carey Price had not yet become the top goalie in the sport, nudged aside for playing time that spring by Jaroslav Halak—a hotshot ninth-round pick from Slovakia.
Brilliant at points, Halak helped the Canadiens reach their first Eastern Conference final in almost 20 years.
He was traded to St. Louis less than a month later.
Price and Halak now are set to compete on a different stage as starting goalies for the World Cup finalists from Canada and Europe.
“I think there’s going to be, I don’t want to say a rivalry, but both guys know who’s at the other end,” said Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong.
Armstrong, also the St. Louis Blues’ GM, traded for Halak following that strong playoff run for Montreal in 2010.
The two goalies occupy very different spaces for their respective teams heading into the World Cup final that starts tonight.
Halak likely will require more brilliance if Europe somehowis to topple Canada two times in a best-of-three series.
Good likely will suffice for Price in front of a Canadian squad that’s steamrolled past everyone to this point.
Halak has propped up his team in their journey to an unlikely berth in the final, second to Price (.948) with a .947 save percentage at the World Cup (among regulars).
He had a 35-save shutout in a shocking tournament-opening win over the U.S., stopped 28-of-30 shots in a victory over the Czechs, and then edged Henrik Lundqvist with 37 saves in Europe’s semi-final upset over Sweden on Sunday.
“That definitely has been the biggest reason we are where we are,” said defenceman Andrej Sekera.
“It’s the best I’ve seen him,” added Europe’s GM Miroslav Satan, a former teammate of Halak with the Slovakian national team.
“He’s definitely one of the cornerstones of our success.”
Bouncing from Montreal to St. Louis to Washington before landing as the N.Y. Islanders’ starter for the past two seasons, Halak became Europe’s undisputed No. 1 by chance.
Frederik Andersen, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ new netminder and Halak’s primary competition for the role, pulled out with injury just before the start of the tournament.
Halak, 31, gave up four goals on 46 shots in a preliminary round loss to Canada and presumably will face a similar barrage in the upcoming final.
Greatness has not been required of Price so far at the World Cup. Bursting with NHL stars, the Canadian squad has been notorious for hogging the puck while spending long shifts in the offensive zone.
Only occasional flurries come Price’s way and on those he was sharp through the semi-finals.
He stopped seven-of-eight Nikita Kucherov shots on Saturday night, including one potentially-dangerous rush early in the opening frame of a 5-3 Canadian win over Russia.
“It can be challenging,” Price said of the limited action. “Especially when you see the guy at the other end’s playing very well.
“But at the same time, I just need to stay focused on what I need to do, which is stop the next shot.
“I’m just trying to stay mentally engaged and just bear down when the puck comes down,” he stressed.
