Connor Bedard has been by far the best player on the Chicago Blackhawks this season.
To no one’s surprise, the rookie phenom was drafted as No. 1 this summer, and in his first-ever NHL season, he’s exceeded all expectations.
Fans were eager to watch how Bedard would transition from the WHL to the NHL, but so far, he’s been making incredible plays, and he leads all rookies in points despite missing more than a month of play due to an injury.
Connor Bedard suffered a broken jaw after a big hit as he was caught skating through the zones with his head down.
Recently, Bedard was also the victim of a massive two-hand slash from Josh Manson that went unpenalized by the referees.
Cheap shots and physical play on Bedard just seem to be getting more and more regular, and Bedard has been visibly frustrated several times over the last couple of weeks.
With Bedard being the stand-out player in Chicago, it’s no wonder that opponents try everything to get under his skin.
But fans have been furious with how Bedard has been treated by some of his opponents, and many feel that the officials should do more to protect him.
But when recently speaking with Chicago media, Bedard shared his true thoughts about his opponents ’head-hunting’ him, and fans absolutely loved what he had to say, as he turned down the whole thing.
”I don’t think it’s really been that crazy, to be honest with you. It’s hockey. It’s physical. If it does happen, just keep playing my game and I think sometimes that’s nice, gets you in the game a bit,” Bedard said per Blackhawks insider Charlie Roumeliotis.
What a great response from Bedard, who’s really staying focused on the right things during his first NHL season. Let’s just hope he stays healthy and injury-free, and it will be a blast to see how great he can become in the NHL.