Breaking Down Carey Price’s Warm Up Routine and Why it Never Changes
- Carey Price uses the same multi-stage warm-up routine he has followed for decades, introduced by Stephane Waite in his first year with the Canadiens.
- Start warm-ups with soft shots focused on tracking and feeling the puck — glove side first, then blocker — before progressing to harder, game-speed shots.
- Progress from standing butterfly shots to close-range gut traps at the hash marks to build confidence and body feel before practice or games.
- Waite deliberately avoids hard early shots because players often shoot unpredictably during warm-ups, making a structured routine essential for goalie readiness.
- Stephane Waite offers a goaltending fundamentals video series in French and English for young goalies without regular access to a goalie coach.
When Carey Price first hits the ice before a morning skate with Montreal Canadiens goaltending coach Stephane Waite, their routine is the same. It never changes.
It starts with shots that can only fairly be described as muffins, shots soft enough you might wonder if the 55-year-old goalie coach has lost his fastball. But later in practice, as you watch Waite wire shots into the corners against his goalies, you know that’s not the case.
Waite didn’t have surgery on his shoulders so he could toss softballs at his stoppers. There is a method to this madness, and thankfully he was willing to share it while walking InGoal Magazine through video of Price doing a warm-up routine he’s used for decades. As noted, it starts with those rather pedestrian-looking shots from the top of the circles:
Waite has a video series for young goaltenders that is especially beneficial for goaltenders who lack access to a regular goalie-coach and need support with their fundamentals. The series is available in both French and English and is available both online and on DVD.
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