Price: The warmest of welcomes for BC youngsters

BROSSARD - Carey Price was on the ice on Monday morning at the Bell Sports Complex long before practice officially got underway.

He wasn't running through drills or working on his lateral movement with goaltending coach Stephane Waite, though. Nor was he talking technique with Antti Niemi.
Instead, Price was skating with and taking shots from a quartet of youngsters who made the long trip from their native British Columbia to spend some quality time with their hockey idol, courtesy of the Breakfast Club of Canada, in partnership with the Air Canada Foundation.
Jayden Fuller Bouwman, Annika Maya Andres, Savhannah Skene-Hartley, and Christian Jacob Sill, who all hail from rural communities in BC where Price grew up, are in the city until Thursday enjoying everything Montreal has to offer.
That includes taking in a Canadiens game, of course. All will be in attendance to watch Price and the Habs battle the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre from the comfort of Air Canada's suite.
Price and his wife, Angela, have been ambassadors for First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) communities on behalf of the Breakfast Club of Canada since August 2014.
The organization strives to ensure that as many children as possible have access to a healthy morning meal before school.

This marks the fourth straight year that kids who frequent breakfast clubs at schools in either Anahim Lake, Williams Lake or Quesnel, have been given the opportunity to make this unique trip to visit Price in Montreal as part of the "Shooting for the Stars" program.
Winners are chosen on the basis of displaying a positive attitude, good behavior, and their overall involvement at school.
Eleven-year-old Jayden was ecstatic to have the chance to go one-on-one with the six-time All-Star on the South Shore on Monday.
"It was awesome and I scored a couple of goals," he said, before proudly describing his scoring technique. "I wanted to pull the trick where you go around the net and then you get it into the corner."
Jayden's mother, Kim, was beaming with excitement after watching her son light the lamp behind one of the best goaltenders in the business.
"It was a really amazing experience. He deserves it. He volunteers at school for anything he can. He helps out at home a lot, because we have a big family. He's very happy. I'm glad this could happen for him," she said. "He actually told me this morning that he wants to play for the Montreal Canadiens."

Likewise, Savhannah's mother, Torie, was proud to see her daughter's efforts rewarded with such a unique prize.
"It's very humbling. Savhannah's worked really hard for this," she said of her 12-year-old daughter. "It's nice because Carey's someone who's from around where she lives. It's nice to see someone come from a small community and be able to have something so magnificent. He's clearly worked hard for it. It shows that hard work pays off."
That's exactly the message that Angela would like these kids to take back home with them, that anything really is possible if they put their minds to it - no matter where they're from.
"Even though Carey's made it and been so successful, he knows where his roots are. I think that encourages the kids and makes them believe that their dreams can come true. You kind of see that when they come here and they're on the ice," said Price, who met the Habs netminder while he was playing for the Tri-City Americans in the WHL . "Something opens up in their hearts and you can see it in their eyes. It's special."
Breakfast Club of Canada founder Daniel Germain is certainly in agreement there.
"For them to come so far, to such a big city and meet Carey is exceptional. The internal transformation that happens in these young peoples' lives and their families is incredible," noted Germain. "Carey understands the importance of giving these kids hope. When they head back home, we want that hope to be contagious. We want them to share the message that everything is possible."