What the Puck: Reinbacher reintroduced to pressures of Montreal

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Defenceman hasn’t even performed a sport in Laval but and one sports activities host is already suggesting the large Austrian could be a bust.

Printed Mar 20, 2024  •  4 minute learn

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Individuals typically say that Montreal is the hardest pressure-cooker of a marketplace for skilled hockey gamers and in case you doubt that, simply take a look at what’s occurred up to now with David Reinbacher.

The 19-year-old Austrian defenceman was picked fifth total by the Montreal Canadiens finally 12 months’s draft and instantly, response from a good chunk of the Habs fan base was fairly unfavorable. There have been some boos from the gang in Nashville when his title was referred to as. I used to be at McLean’s Pub downtown taking pictures a video that day and Canadiens followers had been visibly shocked that CH managers Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes went for the European blue-liner. Clearly many followers wished the group, which has been notably brief on scoring stars for many years, to go for flashy Russian winger Matvei Michkov, who was nonetheless out there at that time.

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This in fact is similar intense — or is it stark-raving mad? — fan base that included individuals who really booed Juraj Slafkovsky as he entered the Bell Centre for the 2022 draft, the day the CH ended up choosing the large Slovakian winger with the group’s No. 1 total decide. That day there have been Canadiens followers sporting Shane Wright jerseys, in homage to the man who for months had been touted because the seemingly first decide.

That Slaf story reveals simply how mistaken you might be judging draft picks. After a tough first season that led to harm, Slafkovsky has turn into arguably essentially the most thrilling story of this Habs season and it now appears clear he’s going to be one superb energy ahead.

The controversy final summer time round Reinbacher quickly turned ugly, with the younger man the goal of 1000’s of hate-filled messages, showcasing the uglier facet of Twenty first-century sports activities fan tradition.

Now he has lastly arrived this week in Montreal — OK, Laval — to play some hockey and he’s welcomed to city with yet one more controversy, this one coming from extremely opinionated TVA Sports activities host Jean-Charles Lajoie. Reinbacher arrived in Canada Monday and had his first apply with the Laval Rocket on Tuesday morning, with a throng of journalists turning as much as get a take a look at the much-talked-about prospect.

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In the meantime, many individuals on the town had been speaking concerning the Lajoie column that featured the headline — David Reinbacher — Un ‘bust’?

In case you learn Lajoie’s column proper to the top — which frankly most individuals yelling and shouting on social media didn’t do — you’d see that he doesn’t really come proper out and name Reinbacher a bust. However he does say he believes the Canadiens made a mistake choosing him.

“To sum up, did the Canadiens decide one of the best participant out there on the fifth decide total in 2023? No.” Lajoie writes.

There have been no scarcity of oldsters attacking Lajoie due to the column, which is absurd. Lajoie has each proper to his opinion and truth is it would take years for us to search out out if Gorton and Hughes are proper or if the anti-Reinbacher crowd are the sensible ones. The truth is that if No. 7 decide Michkov turns right into a scoring stud with the Philadelphia Flyers or No. 8 choice Ryan Leonard does the identical with the Washington Capitals, and Reinbacher seems to be a 3rd or fourth defenceman on the Habs’ blue line, then Gorton and Hughes will probably be judged harshly with motive.

However to cite Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman: “No one is aware of something.” The child’s 19, he has but to play his first sport for the Laval Rocket, and so it’s means too early to know if he’ll turn into Roman Josi, his idol, or simply one other garden-variety D-man.

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The excellent news is that Reinbacher seems to have the persona to take care of the fan and media stress right here. Assembly journalists Tuesday, Reinbacher sounded calm, cool and picked up, and perhaps most essential of all, glad to be right here.

“It’s a loopy hockey world in Montreal,” Reinbacher advised reporters. “Now I’m lastly right here and I’m actually excited. It’s an thrilling time.”

And Slafkovsky stated he’d positively be in contact with the brand new child on the block, telling reporters he thinks Reinbacher will probably be advantageous, as soon as he adjusts to the smaller ice floor and completely different type of play within the American Hockey League in comparison with the Swiss-A League the place he performed this previous season.

“For certain he’ll have to get used to taking part in on a smaller ice floor,” Slafkovsky advised Anthony Martineau from TVA Sports activities on Tuesday. “He’ll most likely have much less time and it’s for certain extra bodily than again in Europe, however I really feel like he can positively make the change. And it’s only a matter of some video games till he will get used to it. He’s a talented man and we have now nice coaches down there too that can attempt to assist him day-after-day. He’s the participant already. He simply must get used to the ice, used to the sport type and all the things as a result of it’s clearly completely different than taking part in in Suisse. I really feel there’s extra time there and is extra expert, not just like the AHL, which is extra meatheads making an attempt to take your head off.”

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Reinbacher might do worse than having just a few chats with Slafkovsky about adjusting to the pressures of taking part in in Montreal. That first day in 2022, when some had been booing him, Slafkovsky prophetically stated: “Hockey is their ardour in addition to mine. Possibly a few of them didn’t like me. However I’ll do all the things that I can (to) play good for this group and they’re going to really perhaps like me sooner or later.”

And guess what? Rather less than two years later, the followers don’t identical to Slaf, they love him.

bkelly@postmedia.com

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