Connor Bedard’s dad is a whole range of emotions watching his son play in the NHL
Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard has been the talk of the NHL over his first week in the league.
The first overall pick in this year’s draft and pegged as a generational talent for years now, Bedard has put up a goal and an assist for a total of three points through his first four NHL games.
And while some people — including the Leafs’ Mitch Marner — might be thinking there’s all sorts of over-the-top media pressure on the 18-year-old, no one has been keeping a closer eye on him than three people who have been watching him his whole life.
Bedard’s family— parents Tom and Melanie, as well as his sister, Madisen — have been accompanying him along to each of his NHL games so far in Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal, and most recently, Toronto.
But it’s been Tom who’s grabbing most of the attention when the broadcast cameras have been panning to him, as he’s been overly animated at just about everything that happens on the ice.
Bedard's dad is me watching the Leafs pic.twitter.com/l3ZL8GE0xI
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 17, 2023
“Connor has had pressure and fandom, not like this of course, but he’s had a bit of training through hockey until now,” Tom said in an interview with NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs over the weekend while in Montreal.
“He’s continuing on with the same mindset he had in the World Juniors and in the past [in the WHL], continuing to build on those learning experiences.”
Maybe one day Tom will be a little more relaxed watching his son play in the NHL, but that day doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon.
Bedard (and possibly, his family) are heading to Colorado for the next game in the team’s road trip, as they’ll take on the Avalanche this coming Thursday. And this Saturday, they’ll be hosting the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, where Bedard will presumably make his home debut at the United Center.
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