The 2023 NHL Draft kicked off on Wednesday night, with many hopeful players eager to hear their names called. The Montreal Canadiens had legendary goalie Carey Price announce their pick at No. 5 overall, and things certainly didn’t go to plan.
Price is beloved by the Canadiens’ fanbase, playing for the organization for the entirety of his 15-year NHL career. However, he didn’t exactly make the fans proud when it came time to announce their first-round pick.
Montreal selected 18-year-old Swiss defenseman David Reinbacher with the pick, which was finally made official with an assist from Canadiens GM Kent Hughes when Price failed to pronounce Reinbacher’s last name.
Carey Price is asked to announce the Montreal Canadiens' selection at No. 5, only to not know the player's name. 🏒📺🤣😬 pic.twitter.com/5FS3gslrLz
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 28, 2023
Price was obviously able to say David, but completely froze up when it came time to say his last name, which fans in attendance got a good kick out of. Hughes then came in to make the save once it became clear that Price was struggling.
“We planned it that way,” Hughes jokingly said. “David Reinbacher.”
Fans at home watching the draft clearly took notice of the embarrassing moment for Price, offering their reaction on social media afterward.
https://twitter.com/bobano/status/1674203353499287555
Oopise…Carey Price forgot the name of the player the Habs were drafting 😂 pic.twitter.com/dFGNTY1kS5
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) June 28, 2023
Carey Price oh nooooo
— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) June 28, 2023
To be fair to Price, Reinbacher isn’t exactly the easiest last name to pronounce. That being said, you would think that he would have been told to rehearse a number of names that were considerations of the Canadiens before the draft.
Regardless, David Reinbacher is set to be Price’s teammate next season, so maybe Price will make it up to him as they build toward the 2023-24 season.
