Quotes of the day: Bergevin and Ducharme on Price's absence

BROSSARD - The NHL and NHLPA announced on Thursday that goaltender Carey Price will be away from the team while voluntarily taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. General manager Marc Bergevin and head coach Dominique Ducharme addressed the media from the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.

Here are some excerpts from their respective media availabilities:
Bergevin on his relationship with Price:
"We've been together for nine years. Today, I'm not thinking of Carey Price the goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, but Carey Price the human being."

Bergevin on the importance of asking for help:
"The NHL and the NHLPA talk and they come in - they already came this year. But, the player has to be willing to admit, and now that not only Carey, Jo [Drouin] did it [as well], and I'm sure other players did it. I think that helps, knowing that the NHL is supporting these players and their families.
"[Trust me, I wish no one had to come forward with these issues.] But, there probably will be, and I think every general manager and every owner wants guys to come out if they need help. Seek it, and move on and have a life. Because your hockey career only lasts so many years, but you have the rest of your life, your kids, your family; that's the most important thing."
Bergevin on the steps being taken to address mental health issues:
"The elephant in the room, sometimes we don't say anything, and it's very personal. But I salute them and I'm glad they did. And if there are other players in the NHL with different issues, whatever they are, I think the NHL and the NHLPA are really looking after the well-being of their players. I commend them for doing that.
"For Jo and Carey and his family - he's got three kids and a wife. So, I think we need to support them, we need to respect their privacy, and I wish him the best. I believe better days are ahead for Carey and his family."
Ducharme on the family atmosphere in the room:
"I think we have a family that is knit pretty tightly. They care about each other, and their well-being, and the way the guys play. They don't care who scores, they don't care who gets a star. They care about guys having success and [how guys are] playing and so on, but also how they're doing outside of the rink. Everyone is really close. And so obviously, when something like that happens, you can feel it in the group. At the same time, adversity makes you strong, and stronger, and I think we proved that last year. It seems that it's not going away; it keeps throwing challenges at us. We'll just answer it."

Ducharme on the changing attitudes surrounding mental health:
"I think people are more and more open to talking about mental health - and not just in hockey, we're seeing it everywhere. People are more inclined to seek out help, which is very important when we're going through something difficult.
"To see Jonathan back with us, it's a positive example for our team, but also for people in Quebec, players across the League, and even in other sports."
Ducharme on his and his staff's support system for the players:
"I feel that there's one thing that our players are really aware of, is that they can come and see me anytime. They can come up and see Marc anytime. They can come up and see the therapists anytime. They can see an assistant coach. We've shown, and they know that we support them in every situation. That for us, it's important to win games, for sure; it's the main reason why we're here. But, we're working as a group and as humans. We really care about them. We're not against them. It's not us against them. We're all in the same boat, we all want the same thing. And they're aware of that; they understand that. I think we created that chemistry and that partnership, that they have their role; I have my role; the assistant coaches have their role, and everyone's got their role. We'll do it to the best of our ability and we'll put that together. Nobody is against anyone, and I think they feel comfortable coming to see us. That's why I think if you look at that case, or Jo's case, they came up to us. When there are things they need help with, we'll help them out."