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Canadiens: Veilleux, Wickenheiser, and the Long Wait For No. 1

By Scott Cowan

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 27: Goaltender Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens tends goal near Jesper Fast #17 of the New York Rangers during the first period at the Bell Centre on February 27, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 27: Goaltender Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens tends goal near Jesper Fast #17 of the New York Rangers during the first period at the Bell Centre on February 27, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 27: Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

In the 2nd phase of the NHL draft lottery, the New York Rangers were awarded the first overall pick, bringing up an obscure connection to the Montreal Canadiens via Andre Veilleux.

Andre Veilleux is a name that, for the most part, transcends the word obscure, especially for Montreal Canadiens fans. His HockeyDB entry consists of little information, with only two seasons of amateur hockey to his name, and no personal information. He’s one of many players that make up the large number of small, inconsequential entries that lay in between the Sidney Crosby’s and Wayne Gretzky’s of the hockey world.

However, if you tuned into the NHL draft lottery this Monday, you might have caught a glimpse of that very name and wondered, “Who?” and well, that’s completely understandable. It’s a similar story to that of Alex Smart, a little known former Canadien who was briefly mentioned alongside Auston Matthews for also scoring four goals in his pro debut. Similarly, Andre Veilleux has his own weird tie to the projected first overall pick this year, Alexis Lafreniere, and to the Habs last first overall pick.

I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the NHL handled the 1st overall pick in this year’s draft lottery. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic causing a delay and subsequent change to how the NHL playoffs played out, the cards ultimately fell in favor of a mystery team, who would be decided by the now-concluded qualifying rounds.

Say what you will about the legitimacy of all this, but in a second phase of the draft lottery this Monday, the New York Rangers name came up, and they were awarded the first overall pick. It marks the third season in a row that the Rangers have picked within the top ten, but the first time since 1965, they have selected first overall. Who was the pick that year? Andre Veilleux.

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