Anahim Lake’s Carey Price has been chosen to represent Canada as part of the 2014 Winter Olympics mens hockey team. Price, a member of the Ulkatcho First Nation, grew up in Anahim Lake and has been playing for the Montreal Canadiens for six seasons.
Price has served as a role model for aboriginal youth, especially those residing in remote, isolated communities. Price’s mother Linda was the chief of the Ulkatcho Nation, and his father Jerry was drafted as a goaltender by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Price used to travel back and forth between Anahim Lake and Williams Lake three times a week, a round trip of almost 700 kilometres, to play minor hockey. Eventually Price’s father bought a plane to make the trip less arduous!
Price often returns to his home community during the summer months, where he still occasionally partakes in the Anahim Lake Rodeo.
Price is one of three goalies chosen for Team Canada. Vancouver Canuck’s Roberto Luongo (who led Team Canada to gold in 2010) and Phoenix Coyote’s Mike Smith are also on the roster. Including Price, there are five players from B.C: Penticton’s Duncan Keith, Sicamous’s Shea Weber, Smither’s Dan Hamhuis, and Victoria’s Jamie Benn.
The team will be led by Olympic hero Sidney Crosby, whose overtime goal at the 2010 Vancouver Games won Canada the gold medal in the final against the U.S. Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ superstar centre, ranks first in NHL scoring this season with 63 points.