There’s nothing like hearing your name called at the NHL Draft, but the Montreal Canadiens’ No. 5 overall pick, David Reinbacher, had to wait a little longer for his moment after Canadiens goalie Carey Price appeared to forget his name.
Price, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, was selected to announce the Canadiens’ first-round pick Wednesday at the 2023 draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The moment that followed was unforgettable — not in a good way.
“The Canadiens de Montreal is proud to select David…” Price said as his eyes darted back and forth. He looked to the Canadiens executives behind him for an assist before general manager Kent Hughes stepped to the microphone.
“We planned it that way,” Hughes quipped, before announcing Reinbacher’s full name.
NHL DRAFT TRACKER: Connor Bedard goes no. 1; scouting reports for first-round picks
Reinbacher, a defenseman from Switzerland’s EHC Kloten, did not appear fazed by the flub. The ESPN broadcast showed Reinbacher immediately hugging his family members before coming on stage to shake hands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and put on his new Canadiens jersey.
“I was a little bit confused, but when (Kent Hughes) said ‘Reinbacher,’ it was incredible,” Reinbacher said. recalled afterwards. “I fell into the arms of my dad and then I went on stage and Carey came to me and was like, ‘I’m so sorry.’ I was like, ‘No problem, I guess.’ You got to look up to such a great guy. It was stunning to shake his hand. Very grateful for that.”
Price even issued a public apology. “Boy that was embarrassing. Sorry David….. Reinbacher,” Price wrote in his first tweet since December 2022.
Maybe rookie hazing got started early this year?
Generational talent Connor Bedard was selected No. 1 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The top 5 picks were rounded out by Leo Carlsson (No. 2, Anaheim Ducks), Adam Fantilli (No. 3, Columbus Blue Jackets), Will Smith (No. 4, San Jose Sharks), followed by Reinbacher.
Matvei Michkov drops to No. 7
The big question was where talented Russian player Matvei Michkov would land. He was considered the second-best player in the draft behind Bedard but is signed in the Kontinental Hockey League through 2025-26.
He wasn’t the first Russian taken in the draft — the Arizona Coyotes took defenseman Dmitriy Simashev at No. 6 — but the Flyers snapped him up with the next pick.
“We know that he’s got a contract for three more seasons, but for us, we just felt after watching him play, after meeting him, it was a talent that we couldn’t pass up,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere told ESPN.
The Flyers are rebuilding, so Michkov could arrive as the team is getting better.
“If we have to wait, we’ll wait,” Briere said.
Notes
Sweden had a big day in the first round with seven Swedish league players taken, including the Ducks taking Carlsson over Fantilli with the second overall pick. Russian players were selected four times. … Four players from the US National Team Development Program were taken. USA Hockey’s under-18 team is the first amateur club to have a player selected among the first five picks of the draft in five consecutive years. … The draft will resume Thursday at 11 am ET with Rounds 2 through 7.
Contributing: Mike Brehm
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[6:08 PM] Brehm, Mike
in 2005.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canadiens’ Carey Price forgets name of NHL draft pick during selection