2023 NHL Draft: Carey Price botches Canadiens' 5th overall pick announcement

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price evidently was as surprised as anyone with his team’s first round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Price took the stage to announce the fifth overall pick, a routine development of allowing a franchise icon to welcome the newest pillar of the franchise.

There was only one problem: Price forgot the choice!

“Bonsoir! Les Canadiens de Montréal select David….,” Price trailed off, looking embarrassed as the crowd assembled at Bridgestone Arena tried to help out.

This moment lingered for way too long as Price completely spaced out, turning the rest of the Canadiens’ draft party for help, before general manager Kent Hughes intervened, selecting defenceman David Reinbacher from EHC Kloten of Switzerland’s National League.

Reinbacher became the highest-drafted Austrian since Thomas Vanek went fifth overall to the Buffalo Sabres twenty years ago in the 2003 NHL Draft.

Perhaps this is a good omen for Reinbacher and the Canadiens, as there is precedent for this type of blunder after all. Philadelphia Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke briefly forgot that his team selected Claude Giroux with the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. Giroux emerged as one of the best players from that class and captained the Flyers for nearly a decade.

Reinbacher was the first defenceman taken off the board in what’s considered to be a forward-heavy draft and could end up being a top-pair defenseman for the Canadiens when they’re eventually ready to seriously compete in the Metropolitan Division. For now, let’s hope the evening wasn’t spoiled for Reinbacher as this is the culmination of his work to date. As for Price, let’s hope he takes the kid out for a nice dinner upon landing in Montreal.