Carey Price and Shea Weber will soon be forever enshrined in B.C. hockey history.
The duo who helped lead Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics will be joined by NHL referee Tom Kowal, Boston Bruins senior advisor Scott Bradley and the 2010 Fort St. John Flyers as this year鈥檚 inductees into BC Hockey Hall of Fame.
鈥淭his class represents a number of different areas of the province and it鈥檚 quite exciting, because it shows you what a diverse province it is and what a passion for the game there is all around,鈥� said Jim Hughson, Hockey Night in Canada鈥檚 former lead play-by-play commentator and the current chair of the Penticton-based provincial museum, which will host the induction ceremony on July 19.
Price, a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2005, has played parts of 15 seasons in the NHL. After backstopping Canada to gold in 2014, the Anahim Lake product won the NHL鈥檚 Hart Trophy in 2015, awarded annually to the league鈥檚 MVP. His mother is Chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation.
The 36-year-old, who in 2018 passed Patrick Roy for second on the all-time wins list among all Montreal netminders, was a teammate of Weber鈥檚 with the Canadiens from 2016 to 2021.
鈥淥bviously, I鈥檓 incredibly honoured to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, especially with a teammate of mine, that means a lot to me,鈥� Price said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud to be from B.C.鈥�
Weber, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner with Canada in 2010 and 2014, played his minor hockey in Sicamous before suiting up for the WHL鈥檚 琉璃神社 Rockets. The defenceman was drafted by the Nashville Predators in 2003 and went on to play 16 seasons in the NHL, including in 2020-2021 when he helped the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really a big honour being a B.C. boy in a small town of Sicamous,鈥� Weber said, during a Hall of Fame announcement on Feb. 29, in Penticton. 鈥淚 was lucky to play my whole minor hockey and junior hockey career in B.C. and to get this call definitely means a lot.
鈥淚鈥檓 humbled to be here鈥t goes by quickly. I was just a young boy from Sicamous playing minor hockey dreaming of playing in the NHL.鈥�
Price and Weber headline a class that includes Kowal, a Vernon-raised official who worked in the NHL from 1998 to 2018, and Bradley, a Delta-born executive who鈥檚 worked as scout, advisor and assistant general manager in the Bruins鈥� organization since 1994.
The 2010 Fort St. John Flyers will be inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame after going undefeated en route to winning the Allan Cup, one of North America鈥檚 oldest club-team competitions.
Established in 1994, the provincial museum has more than 300 cabinets that showcase B.C.鈥檚 hockey history. It is located inside the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton.
