Carey Price after Olympic semifinal win: 'This is the whole reason we play this sport'

In perhaps the biggest game of his career to date, goaltender Carey Price came up huge for Canada, stopping each of the 31 shots he faced in a 1-0 semifinal victory over Team USA on Friday. 

With the win, Price improved upon the tremendous numbers that he has posted in Sochi.

The significance of the victory was not lost on the 26-year-old.

"I'm really excited," Price told Arpon Basu of NHL.com. "I'm just soaking in this moment right now. It's fun. This is the whole reason we play this sport. We believe it's the best sport in the world, and it's truly rewarding if you put in the work."

One of the players in front of Price was quick to praise him as well. "I've played in front of lots of good goalies, but today he was great," defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said. "He's so calm. Nothing really fazes him, even the chances they did have he made some good saves. He just was never really out of position, and I think when you watch him, that's impressive."

Head coach Mike Babcock framed the victory in terms of a player's overall career arc. "I thought [Price] was great," Babcock said. "It's like anything; you build a resume over time in your career, whether you're a coach or whether you're a writer or whether you hold a camera. You build a resume and it gives you confidence. He's done that over time."

While Price acknowledged that Canada accomplished what it set out to do on Friday, certainly he'd like to add a gold medal to his resume, building on this big win and achieving his first championship at the senior men's level.

Already, though, he's set himself apart in the eyes of teammate Roberto Luongo.