Being drafted is always a fantastic day for the young men who prepare to take the next step on their road to the NHL, but for one draftee it was even more than that, it was a family dream come true.
From Eric Lindros sulking and refusing to put on the Quebec Nordiques jersey to Shane Wright staring at the Montreal Canadiens' table at the 2022 draft when he took to the stage after being selected fourth-overall by the Seattle Kraken, it's always fun to see the players' reaction to being drafted. Mind you, it's fun to check fans' reactions as well, I don't think any Habs fan will ever forget the "What Lady".
Yesterday, the NHL released its Welcome to the NHL video and if Beckett Sennecke's reaction takes the cake for the most surprised look (read his lips at your own risk in the video below), Canadiens prospect Michael Hage and his mother take the most moving one.
It's been well-documented since the draft that 21st-overall pick Hage had lost his father in a swimming pool accident at a backyard barbecue in July 2023, leaving his mother as the sole parent he brought to the draft.
Hage's father was born in Montreal and was a Canadiens' fan for his whole life, passing the torch to his sons so to speak. So when when eldest son Michael heard Nick Bobrov picking him, in a remarkable French if I may add, it was a dream come true, not only for the draftee himself, but for his mother and brother Alexander.
The fact the NHL had cameras on the Hage family just before the Canadiens picked him and the youngster can be heard saying "Montreal's on the phone" and then when Kent Hughes, Martin Lapointe and Nick Bobrov get up to walk to stage he asks his mother "You think they'll take me?" closely followed by "That would be a dream" to which she can only silently mouth "I know" sets the table perfectly for the magnitude of the moment that's just around the corner.
As soon as Bobrov says "From the Chicago Steel..." Hage's mom instantly lets go of his hand and gasps in both surprise and delight all at once. As she hugs her son she tells him "That's from dad baby" and points up to the sky in disbelief as she shares her joy with the neighboring families and media members. Perhaps, I'm getting soft in old age (well, I am over 40 so you know...), but my eyes filled with tears as I watched it.
I highly recommend watching the whole video, it's a well-invested 47 minutes of your time, and not only for this very moving moment.