Growing up in a cabin with a tin roof near the shores of Anahim Lake in British Columbia, Carey Price learned to skate on the frozen creek just outside his home.
When he wasn’t traveling to and from hockey arenas or playing competitive hockey on the ice, he was spending his time hunting and fishing with his family. The outdoors not only offered life lessons that built resilience but also provided recreation and, later in life, a way to find and maintain his sobriety.
Today, he shares those same values through the Price Family Foundation, supporting indigenous communities of Canada and promoting outdoor pursuits. It sounds like the plot of the latest Disney movie, but it’s the real-life story of one of the greatest hockey goalies to ever play the game.
The Early Days in British Columbia
Carey grew up in the wild country of British Columbia. His father was a former NHL player, and his mother was a longtime chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation. One of the most interesting parts of Carey’s origin story as a hockey star was the time he spent traveling with his father to and from the hockey rink.
At first, they traveled in his Dad’s Ford Ranger, taking astonishing 3.5-hour trips to the hockey rink up to three times a week, and later in a small bush plane piloted by his father, which cut their travel time down to a more manageable 45 minutes each way.
Although he cherishes those moments spent in the air with his father, Carey isn’t about to trade in his truck for an airplane.
“The thought always intrigued me, the practicality, not so much…,” he said. “My dad always said that an airplane’s great when you have a purpose for it. You know, I’m very thankful for having spent time in a small plane, but if we’re going up to Alaska or something, I think we’ll hire a fellow to take us there.”
Those adventures in the bush and long drives in his Dad’s truck meant a lot of time to talk, providing opportunities to share important life lessons.
“Yeah, I think the biggest one would be, you waste not, want not, right?” he said. “Only take what you need and don’t waste what you have, so those are two lessons. I think they are probably the most important.”
They fostered an ethical mindset that Carey continues to this day.
Carey Price: From Pro Hockey to the Great Outdoors
Carey Price was one of the leading goaltenders in hockey for much of the past 20 years and a favorite candidate for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Since being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2005, he has recorded the most wins of any goaltender in the storied history of the franchise and has earned numerous National Hockey League awards, including the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player and the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender.
Price also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in 2005 and at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Unfortunately, a significant knee injury derailed his Hall of Fame career, forcing him to step away from the game in 2022.
Carey has lived and breathed the outdoor lifestyle, spending his offseason and free time hunting and fishing with friends and family. In addition to being the spokesperson for Ford, he’s the brand ambassador for Vortex Optics and CFMOTO Off-Road Vehicles.
Carey heads into the wild for the solitude as well as the adventure. “I think the biggest part of it for me is just seeing all the kind of ground yourself in the outdoors and kind of being a quiet zone, you know,” he said.
Not one to sit idle, Carey and his father have already been out this fall in the mountains hunting for elk. “Well, me and my dad have already been to Alberta,” he said. “We got a bull out this fall already.”
Of course, not one to just “talk the talk,” Carey lives his sustainable lifestyle by only harvesting enough to feed his family.
“We might get on the odd whitetail hunt here for the rest of the year, but, you know, like I said, waste not, want not, and one elk is pretty well good for our family," he said. "But we might go spend some time out in the woods if the right opportunity presents itself. Maybe we’ll harvest a whitetail, but I think we’re pretty set for the year.”
Carey’s excitement was obvious as he retold the hunt with his father. “Elk hunting is definitely my favorite,” he said. “I think just the interaction and the places that they take you and, you know, the sound of a bugling bull out in the woods is something that I think everybody should hear.”
In a rather brave move for a public figure, and one not afraid to avoid controversy, Carey is never afraid to share his outdoor pursuits with his fans. He often posts photos of harvested game, including coyotes, turkeys and deer, as well as messages of support for the Canadian firearm community.
Carey’s Path to Sobriety
A family man first and foremost, Carey made the difficult decision to enter the National Hockey League’s Players’ Assistance Program for alcoholism in 2021. Recognizing the issue within himself, he courageously stepped away from the game to do what was best for him and his young family.
Alcohol flows freely in many hunting camps, and being sober would certainly change that experience.
“That’s very prominent in a hunting camp, but I’d say, for myself, you go to a hunting camp, you want to experience nature in its finest form, right?” he said. “A bull elk isn’t having a few wobbly pops the night before you go hunting him, either. So, he’s going to have an advantage.
“And I understand that having a good time together is kind of part of the bonding trip, but you need to be able to be safe at the same time and be at your best and peak performance when you get up in the morning to go pursue an animal. You don’t want to have a pounding headache going up the mountainside.
“I think for myself, I enjoy being with a right mind and of right body to be able to go and enjoy the outdoors the way it should be.”
Family is a pillar of who Carey is, and hunting is no different. Family and his faith have played a significant role in his sobriety, and with the Price family, that means time spent outdoors.
“I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with family members in Alberta, who I only got to see usually once a year,” he said. “To spend time with those Godly men — they’re all men of faith — and being able to spend time in fellowship with them has been a real blessing.”
Bright Future Ahead
The likely Hall of Famer has been a vocal supporter of his local community and indigenous rights nationwide. His family established the Carey and Angela Price Foundation that supports different initiatives that aim to help indigenous or special needs youth through funding, resources and assistance.
The same lessons in resilience that helped him in the mountains and on the ice are being shared with youth in northern communities through organizations like Elevation Outdoors and CRIS Adaptive Adventures, which provide access and equipment to help Indigenous kids and individuals with disabilities connect with the wild.
Carey’s philanthropic endeavors and advocacy on behalf of indigenous groups in Canada were recognized by the University of British Columbia in 2024 with an honorary Doctor of Law degree.
Whether it’s hunting in the backwoods, playing on the ice or helping others through his foundation, Carey lives by the same principles: hard work, faith and advocating for those less fortunate. It’s these values that made him a fierce competitor, a dedicated family man and a successful outdoorsman.
Why Carey Price Is a Ford Truck Man
Carey Price has always been a Ford truck enthusiast. In fact, it’s the only brand of truck he’s ever owned, starting with his first truck, a Harley Davidson F-150, that he got when he was just 20 years old. Fast forward to today, and he’s now driving the latest Ford F-350 equipped with the top off-road package.
Carey’s truck features the Tremor option, which is a package that greatly boosts the truck’s off-road performance. It includes a lifted suspension, larger all-terrain tires and a revised suspension with specialized shocks.
Additionally, the package improves the approach and departure angles and includes specialized off-road drive modes like Rock Crawl. These features help Carey go deeper into wild places.
“Having the right tool for the job gets your equipment and you in and out safely,” he said. When asked about some of his favorite features on his new truck, he said, “Off-road mode, for sure. Having a four-wheel drive is definitely essential with some of the places that we try to get into and try to get out of.”
Editor’s Note: For more Ford-centric content from author Craig Mitchell, slide on over to his recent Ford Bronco Off-Rodeo article.
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