Bedard plans to keep Canucks attire even though he is with the Blackhawks

Though he was recently selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard doesn’t plan to get rid of any of his Vancouver Canucks gear he owns from his childhood days.

The 18-year-old Bedard grew up in North Vancouver and hasn’t been afraid to admit that the Canucks were his favourite team as a kid. Speaking with Sekeres & Price recently, he admitted that he still has some Canucks gear from his childhood days, and intends on keeping it despite being a member of the Blackhawks.

“Of course, you have things from growing up, jerseys and whatnot,” Bedard said. “It’s pretty funny with how it worked out with the rivalry they had when I was a kid. I’m happy to be on this side of it, of course, it feels different. But no, I’ve always loved the Canucks. I wouldn’t throw away that stuff from growing up, those are great memories.”

For quite some time, it had been apparent that Bedard would be selected first overall in the 2023 draft, though who was going to get that pick remained to be seen. Ultimately, the Blackhawks won the lottery and were able to select the Regina Pats forward.

While one player can’t change a franchise on his own, the Blackhawks’ rebuild has certainly been sped up thanks to the addition of Bedard. He has been hyped up as a generational talent, compared to the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, proving just how elite he is expected to be. In 57 games this past season with the Pats, he scored 71 goals and 103 points.

Though Canucks fans were hoping for a miracle on draft lottery day, they ended up picking 11th overall, where they selected Swedish defenceman Tom Willander. While he certainly doesn’t have the hype of Bedard, he too appears to have a promising NHL career ahead of him.

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