2022 NHL Draft thrills Montreal fans during first round

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens delivered surprises and thrills to their fans during the first round of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on Thursday.

Featuring tributes to Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy, an amped-up greeting from Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, and a stunning No. 1 pick and two trades by Montreal, it was a memorable night to begin the first NHL Draft held in person in three years. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 NHL Drafts were held in a remote format with teams convening via video conferences.
Chants of "Guy! Guy! Guy!" broke out when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman introduced Martin Lafleur, the son of the Canadiens legend who died April 22. "Bossy! Bossy! Bossy!" chants rained down when the New York Islanders great's daughter, Tanya, addressed the crowd. Bossy, who was born in Montreal, died April 22.
St. Louis was greeted by one of the loudest ovations of the evening when he took the stage.
"It took me 47 years to finally be at my first draft and it was worth the wait," the Hall of Fame forward said before praising Canadiens fans for their support and ending his speech with "Go Habs Go!"

The Canadiens' selection of Slovakian forward Juraj Slafkovsky with the No. 1 pick generated a buzz in the arena, with many fans expecting that Montreal would select center Shane Wright of Kingston in the Ontario Hockey League.
"I think I didn't hear my name called," Slafkovsky said. "I just heard 'Slovakia' and then I was just shocked and really didn't listen anymore. I was shaking and I had goose bumps. An unbelievable moment for me."
Slafkovsky, of TPS in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league, was undaunted by the smattering of boos that accompanied Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes' announcement of his selection. The left wing was given an enthusiastic greeting punctuated by "Ole! Ole! Ole!" chants when he walked up through the crowd to do a TV interview.
"Hockey is their passion, as well as mine," Slafkovsky said. "Maybe some of them didn't like me, but I will do everything I can to play good for this team and maybe one day they'll like me."
The capacity crowd erupted in cheers when Commissioner Bettman said after the No. 3 pick that he had two trades to announce, both involving Montreal.
The Canadiens traded defenseman Alexander Romanov and the No. 98 pick in the 2022 draft to the New York Islanders for the No. 13 choice. Montreal then used the No. 13 pick and the No. 66 selection to acquire center Kirby Dach in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks before Wright was selected at No. 4 by the Seattle Kraken.
RELATED: [Complete coverage of 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft]
Montreal-born defenseman Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins was given a loud ovation before announcing his team was selecting defenseman Owen Pickering of Swift Current in the Western Hockey League at No. 21.
The Canadiens took Filip Mesar, another Slovakian forward, with the No. 26 pick. He played for Poprad in that country's top men's league last season.
A moment of silence was observed in memory of Bryan Marchment before the start of the draft. The former NHL defenseman and father of Florida Panthers forward Mason Marchment died Wednesday at the age of 53 while here for the draft. He joined the San Jose Sharks front office in 2007, working with the scouting and player development departments.
"We love you Bryan," Sharks general manager Mike Grier said. "You will be missed but you will never be forgotten."
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