Carey Price has awkward moment while announcing Habs draft pick

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price. Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Carey Price has cringeworthy moment while announcing Canadiens draft pick

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 6/28/23

Montreal Canadiens fans were waiting on pins and needles to find out what the team would do with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Habs goaltender Carey Price didn’t do much to calm their nerves after he forgot the name of Montreal’s first-round pick, which ended up being Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher.

Canadiens general manager Kent Johnson come to Price’s rescue, filling in the blank after Price only got out Reinbacher’s first name.

Carey Price had an opportunity to do the funniest thing possible and he TOOK it pic.twitter.com/R3mePWeEwg
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 28, 2023

Carey Price said we picked the Beyonce of the draft and he doesn't need a last name
— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) June 28, 2023

Not even Carey Price wanted to pass on selecting Michkov
— Michael Traikos (@Michael_Traikos) June 28, 2023

Of course, Price’s gaffe is not the only instance of a draft pick’s name being forgotten. Former Philadelphia Flyers GM Bobby Clarke hilariously announced at the podium during the 2006 draft that he forgot who his team was taking. The pick turned out to be seven-time All-Star center Claude Giroux.

Reinbacher, a 6-foot-2, 187-pound defenseman, was widely considered the top defensive prospect in the 2023 draft class and the No. 8 overall prospect by TSN’s Bob McKenzie. He scored three goals and 22 points in 46 games for EHC Kloten in the Swiss National League.

The Canadiens took Reinbacher after passing on highly touted Russian forward Matvei Michkov, who the team was linked to predraft. Montreal has the No. 11-ranked farm system in the NHL, per The Athletic, with four of the team’s top 10 prospects being defensemen — Lane Hutson (No. 1), Logan Mailloux (No. 6), Justin Barron (No. 7) and No. 9 Adam Engstrom (No. 9).

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