Price (left) poses with his hunting partner, their weapon and their kill. (@CP0031)

There just isn't a lot for hockey players to do this time of year without hockey, especially in Canada. But there is hunting.

Following the path set forward by Canucks forward David Booth (a mountain goat and bear hunter), Montreal Canadiens goaltender and native of British Columbia Carey Price went hunting recently and didn't have your typical kill to show for it. Taking the next step from the Booth blueprint, Price tweeted a picture to his followers, causing a bit of a stir.

The above photo is Price with a dead coyote (as well as the weapon and his hunting partner). Typically people don't come back from hunting expeditions with things like coyotes; as far as I know they aren't the tastiest meal around (which is to say I don't know at all). Naturally, that brought Price some backlash from his followers, which he handled thusly:

I've said this before about Booth's photos and I'll say it again here: I don't have a problem with hunting. It's not for me but I don't mind other people doing it. With that said, Price's logic makes me laugh a bit. I understand full well that coyotes are a menace in the woods and are hunters of many animals, but are they going to stop putting meat on his family's table? The NHL lockout will have a bigger impact on his dinner table than some coyotes in the woods.

There's nothing illegal with what Price did but that doesn't mean it isn't upsetting to some people. In addition to the animal/hunting angle is the gun angle and the assault rifle Price is posing with. In light of the recent tragedy in Connecticut, some are saying it's in poor taste to gloriously pose with the weapon. Obviously there is a huge difference between what happened in Newtown and what Price was doing but people have different sensibilities.

Come on, lockout, you can end anytime now. From now on the only snipers I want to see are the kind we see in hockey.

H/t to Deadspin

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