It's been a lost season for the Montreal Canadiens and for its star goalie, Carey Price, but both got positive reviews in a poll of about 500 NHL players conducted by the NHL Player's Association.
41 per cent of the players polled say Price is the toughest goalie to score on. The Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick comes in a distant second, at 12 per cent.
Carey Price's name also turned up when players were asked, "if you need to win one game, who is the #1 player (any position) you would want on your team?" Price finished third in that category, behind Penguins' star Sidney Crosby and the Oilers' Connor McDavid.
Meanwhile, Habs' star defenceman Shea Weber also got some kudos from his fellow players — he came in third place behind Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty in the category of toughest defenceman, fourth place behind Crosby, McDavid and Patrick Kane as most difficult player to play against, and fourth again behind Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron as best role model.
Meanwhile, NHL players also gave the Habs' home rink, and their fans, high marks.
24.8 per cent of players named the Bell Centre as their favorite rink to play in, with Chicago's United Center coming a close second.
The Bell Centre also topped the list as the rink with the best ice.
The survey also lists Habs fans as the third-best in the league, just behind those in Chicago and Nashville, but well ahead of fans in Toronto.