The exasperated raising of the arms in reaction to hometown jeers is a gesture weighted with symbolism for Montreal Canadiens goaltenders.
And Carey Price acknowledged he was aware of the inevitable comparisons with Patrick Roy, the Hall of Fame goaltender who was traded only a few days after making a similar display of his disgust in 1995.
"To be honest, I used that particular gesture to remind the people that booing doesn't always help," Price said yesterday as he and his teammates packed up their lockers and prepared for a long, frustrating summer.
The incident happened in the second period of Thursday's 4-1 elimination game against the Boston Bruins, as fans cheered ironically when Price stopped a dump-in by Mark Recchi.
The reaction was as fierce as it was divided, with some pundits and fans excoriating Price while others fumed that the young goalie could be treated so shabbily at home.
Saying that "both parties were hurt in that altercation," Price grudgingly apologized and insisted he is committed to staying in Montreal.
"I thought it was a way of expressing myself, they wanted to express themselves so I just did the same thing. Looking back on it, you know, I probably could have held my composure a little bit more," he said.
Clad in jeans and a khaki jacket, baseball cap pulled low over his forehead, the 21-year-old Price spoke in a weary monotone about the disappointments and hard lessons of his second professional season, which featured the high of an all-star game nomination and the low of a first-round playoff sweep.
"When things are going well, it's really awesome. It's just never easy to face the music, no matter what kind of job you're in. If things aren't going well your boss is going to give it to you, and unfortunately for me, my boss is 21,000 people," said Price, adding that he understands the high expectations placed on him since the unprecedented feat of winning most valuable player awards in the world junior championship and the AHL playoffs in the same year.
"I'd like to meet all those but sometimes it's just not possible. I don't know how to put it, sometimes I feel like I'm getting put too high on a pedestal and getting thrown under the bus a little too much," he said.
General manager Bob Gainey called Price "a thoroughbred" and said he's confident the young goalie will come back fortified by the experience, as he did showing up 30 pounds lighter and in the best shape of his life after a playoff meltdown in this first season.
As for Price, he had only one question on his mind after the year that was.
"What am I going to do for the next five months? It's going to be a long summer."
