(KLOTEN, Switzerland) You could hear a pin drop at the Stimo Arena, a slightly rustic amphitheater in the suburbs of Zurich, during the passage of The Press on this Thursday morning in October.
The training of EHC Kloten, Reinbacher’s club in the Swiss national league, ended when the 1er choice of the Canadian took to the ice. One by one, the players returned to the locker room, until only the young cripple remained and Kimmo Rintanen, one of the assistant coaches, with a clock on his neck. Reinbacher had to complete as many laps as possible in a given amount of time. From one passage to the next, he leaned forward, he grimaced.
“Kimmo can break you!” But it’s okay, I need it,” admits the young man, as he leaves the ice rink.
Reinbacher’s return to Switzerland, after his time at the CH training camp, did not exactly go as he intended. In his third match, on October 13, he was injured. ” It was an accident. He tried to block a check, but he jammed his wrist and knee,” describes Kloten head coach, Montrealer Gerry Fleming.
When we visited, 13 days after the incident, the knee had already healed, but not the hand, even though initially it was the joint that seemed affected. At one point, there was even a possibility that Reinbacher would return to Montreal, a scenario ruled out when his injury turned out to be minor.
“I first felt pain in my knee, so I didn’t feel the pain in my hand,” Reinbacher said. I was really worried, I couldn’t move my knee, I wondered if I had a fracture. It was only once in the locker room that my wrist started to hurt. I had a fracture two years ago and it was the same pain. So I thought I had six to eight weeks. »
Extensive examinations ultimately revealed no fractures, but the team erred on the side of caution. Reinbacher was therefore skating without handling a puck during our visit. But the skating was fluid. The “lower body” seemed well and truly repaired.
Much has been said about the absences of Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle in this young season. The organization’s No. 1 prospect didn’t escape bad luck, but he was ultimately lucky in his misfortune.
Montreal in March?
Reinbacher can therefore begin what he hopes will be the journey that will bring him back to Montreal.
Moreover, the club’s general manager, Larry Mitchell, is very realistic: he estimates the chances at “99%” that this will be Reinbacher’s last season in Switzerland.
” The door is always open. If Montreal judges that it is preferable for him to come back, we certainly won’t say no!, Mitchell explains to us, in a corridor of the arena. But my understanding was that if he didn’t win a position with the Canadiens at camp, we would take him back for the season, but he won’t come back next year. »
This is without forgetting that with Kloten already lagging behind in the rankings, his season in Switzerland could end early. Kloten’s schedule will conclude March 4 if the team misses the playoffs; There will then be 21 matches left for the CH match, which will conclude on April 16.
“I don’t know yet what will happen. I imagine that Larry knows the plan, but they want me to concentrate on my game. But I imagine that I will go back,” believes the young man.
Until then, the 19-year-old Austrian will have to deal with a fragmented schedule, typical of Europe due to breaks for international tournaments. There will be a first two-week break after the match on the evening of November 4, then another in December for the World Junior Championship.
Reinbacher is old enough to participate, but it looks complicated. Austria is part of Group 1A, the equivalent of the second division. France and Kazakhstan are notably among Austria’s rivals in this six-team tournament.
European clubs cannot prevent a player from participating in international tournaments if their national team calls them up. Reinbacher is, however, loaned to Kloten by the Canadian; it is therefore up to Montreal to decide. But Larry Mitchell already has his idea: it would be strange for Reinbacher to face juniors from marginal countries.
“He is playing his second season in one of the best leagues in the world. I don’t see any value in him. But there is one for Austria, because he can help them climb back into the first group.
“But that would be on top of everything he’s been through in the last year: the trip, the evaluation camp, the draft, the rookie camp, his return here and his injury. We are enjoying a break from the tournament, and a period of training could be more beneficial for his ultimate goal, which is to become an NHL player. »
Reinbacher remains evasive, although he says he likes to “play for our colors”. He gets a little more carried away when mentioning those who will be there, in particular another Austrian hope of the Canadian, striker Vinzenz Rohrer. Not forgetting Lenz Moosbrugger, his old friend whom he has known since the age of 4. “If he goes, I’d definitely love to be there!” It would be the first time in a long time that we played together. »
At least it won’t be an injury that keeps him from going, unless he gets seriously unlucky within a month.
His injury, however, prevented him from playing during our visit, which is very unfortunate, of course. But Reinbacher is one of those optimistic types, who sees an opportunity in every misfortune.
“Yes, I’m injured at the moment, but I can kick myself and come back stronger,” he says.
This is also true for The Press. The Thursday interview was going well, but Reinbacher had to rush off to dinner with a newly retired former teammate. We therefore suggest that he continue the discussion on Saturday, the day of the EHC Kloten home match. He nods immediately. “I have to train in the morning and since I won’t be playing, I will have time. We’ll go for coffee afterwards,” he suggests.