Watch Carey Price repeatedly pummel Kyle Palmieri after collision at net
It's not often we see Carey Price lose his cool. Over the years he's established himself as one of the most calm and collected goaltenders in the NHL, even under the most adverse of circumstances.
With that in mind, it was a bit odd to see the Canadiens netminder have somewhat of a meltdown on Thursday night in Montreal.
Price's surprising fit of rage came after Devils forward Kyle Palmieri collided with him on a scoring chance at the end of the period. Palmieri drove the net hard and slid into Price, knocking the goalie to the ice awkwardly. The Habs goalie quickly got to his feet and went for revenge.
As Palmieri laid on the ice, Price delivered a slew of head and body punches. The Devils forward didn't do much in response, possibly an admission of guilt on his part. But Price kept throwing blocker shots until a full-on fracas developed around the net area. He didn't succeed at punching Palmieri through the ice, but it wasn't for lack of effort.
After the game, Price said he was just trying to stand up for himself after being run into.
Considering we've seen Price suffer significant injury on similar plays in the past, it's understandable that he'd take exception to being taken out by Palmieri. However, more difficult to process is Price suddenly turning into a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot with steam coming out of his ears. That's something we didn't expect to see from him.
Something tells me that was a bit of a cathartic experience for Price. Maybe he'll go back to being even-tempered for the next handful of years. As someone who finds great pleasure in the entertainment provided by angry goalies, I hope not.
