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Roenick accuses Bedard of disrespecting NHL legends at Winter Classic

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Jan 5 2025, 7:34 pm
Roenick accuses Bedard of disrespecting NHL legends at Winter Classic
Matt Krohn/Imagn Images

Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard was caught in the crosshairs of NHL legend Jeremy Roenick after a disappointing Winter Classic performance on New Year’s Eve.

Much has been said about the current state of the Blackhawks, with an ugly 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues at the iconic Wrigley Field putting a sour taste in the mouth of just about every Chicago fan.

Bedard in particular has been having a rough time in his sophomore season with just 10 goals and 34 points through 39 games this season. Now, his behaviour is being put into question as Roenick had some harsh words for the 19-year-old on the SnipesĀ and Stripes podcast with former NHL referee Tim Peel.

The Hall of Famer accused Bedard of disrespecting himself, Chris Chelios, and Denis Savard as the trio was on the ice before the game. According to Roenick, every player came up to talk to the trio except Bedard, which rubbed him the wrong way.

“All the players came up to me, [Chelios], and [Savard], except one,” Roenick said. “That was Connor Bedard… If we don’t have that respect to go up and fist bump, to say congratulations, how can you do it with your own teammates?

“I’m not ripping on him in terms of his personality or anything like that. If he’s going to be the captain of this team, there is a lot of things that he has to think about in terms of being that leader, being that captain, and unfortunately he dropped the ball.”

Those are some harsh words for the young superstar and yet another negative thing that Bedard can add onto what has been a nightmare season for him and the Blackhawks. Public perception has fallen off quickly around the North Vancouver native as many are debating whether or not 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini has already surpassed him despite only having played in 30 NHL games.

To get criticized by Roenick is no small deal either. The 54-year-old is a veteran of over 1300 NHL games and has over 1200 points to his name. Roenick spent eight years with the Blackhawks throughout the 1990s and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this past year.

There is no doubt that Bedard has plenty left to learn if he wants to one day captain the Blackhawks and be among the very best players in the league. While he maybe should have taken some time to talk to Roenick and the other legends at the Winter Classic, it’s an overreaction to say that this is a true indication of how he treats his teammates.

One thing is for certain, Bedard and the Blackhawks need to win some games. That is the only way for this narrative to be completely stomped out.

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