Ken Dryden speaks out about the lack of rings on Carey Price's hand
In sports, we often hear fans defend their favorites by stating, "Yeah, but mine has a championship and yours doesn't, it's a REAL one!"
How many times have I heard someone briskly throw out, "Carey...he's not capable of winning in the playoffs. He still doesn't have rings on his fingers!"
It's such an easy argument to just throw out there. First of all, Carey Price performs in crucial moments like the playoffs, just think of the last few that we just experienced. Plus, he has a career .919 save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average in the playoffs.
"There was a time when the number of rings was kind of a barometer, but not anymore. You can also notice, because it happens, that there are goalies who are good in the season, and not so good in the playoffs. But that's obviously not the case with Carey Price," said Ken Dryden.
Second, in today's NHL, there are now 32 teams, not the six or 17 that there were in Ken Dryden's day. The more teams there are, plus the salary cap, the harder it is to win a championship. Today's dynasties last two or three years.... That's such a facet to consider, as Dryden said.
"In my days, you could measure a goalie's work by the number of rings he had. When I played in this league, there were 17 teams. Before me, goalies like Jacques Plante and Bill Durnan played in a six-team league. I had 16 opponents a year and they had 5 opponents. Next season, there will be 32 teams in the NHL. The Stanley Cup opportunities won't come around that often, and there will be more and more great players who will have to retire without being able to win one," added Dryden.
So, can we stop using this ring count argument when comparing one player to another?
