Bedard ready to shine for Blackhawks in Winter Classic

CHICAGO – Connor Bedard was 3 years old the last time the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Winter Classic at iconic Wrigley Field, so forgive him if he doesn’t remember much from that game.

In fact, he doesn’t remember much from any of Chicago’s previous six outdoor games, except for the 2014 NHL Stadium Series Chicago, when the Blackhawks hosted his boyhood hero, Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field.

“It’s probably the clearest one I remember,” the Blackhawks center said with a laugh. “I don’t know how old I was for a lot of the other ones.”

But the memories he makes at the Discover NHL Winter Classic between his Blackhawks and St. Louis at Wrigley Field on Tuesday (5 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS) will last a lifetime.

Bedard, who was selected No. 1 by Chicago in the 2023 NHL Draft, is the face of the next era of Blackhawks hockey, following in the footsteps of former forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. He’s expected to help return the Blackhawks to the glory they experienced during the Toews and Kane years, when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

He will certainly be front and center on Tuesday, the spotlight squarely on the 19-year-old during the NHL’s annual outdoor extravaganza. His teammates say he can handle it.

“That’s the one thing I appreciate about him, coming in last year how he stepped in and performed,” Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno said. “He took the spotlight, took the pressure and just went with it. It speaks volumes about where he is mentally in his mindset, what he’s capable of because he understands the work comes first and the rest follows.

“We’re lucky to have a player like that that’s going to be a cornerstone and a big piece of this organization for a long time. He’s a great kid.”

Bedard led all rookies with 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) last season, winning the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL rookie of the year.

He got off to a slow start this season, getting 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in his first 21 games. But after scoring a goal in a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday, he heads into the Winter Classic with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in his past 16 games.

“I like to think of it as when a golfer plays like (crap),” Bedard said with a laugh. “They’re not hitting the ball. They’ve done it their whole life. You go out there, your hands don’t feel right, you’re tired or whatever. It’s a weird thing.

“For me, it was just playing my way out of those stretches. Obviously, it’s not the first or last time you’re not going to feel like yourself. It’s just playing yourself out of those stretches and trying to get better in other areas. From the defensive aspect, I think I have improved a little bit with that. So just trying to take as much as you can out of those times.”

What’s also helped is the more aggressive system of Anders Sorensen, who was named interim coach on Dec. 5 after the Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson. Besides that, Bedard said Sorensen talks to him a lot 1-on-1 and gives him good advice.

“Little things on how I can get the puck in our system and where to be that’s going to produce offense for myself and hopefully translate to production on the scoresheet,” Bedard said. “It's just really about getting to spots where I can get the puck.”

Sorensen said Bedard is the type of player who “has to trust his instincts.”

“Just little things,” Sorensen said. “It’s just keeping him in motion. We want him to be in motion a lot, getting pucks in motion and offensively being in motion. That’s the biggest part of the discussions we’ve had but he’s such an intelligent player that he has to trust his instincts.”

He will have to rely on his instincts Tuesday since he doesn’t have much experience playing outdoors.

The mild winter weather in North Vancouver, British Columbia, where he grew up, isn’t conducive to skating outside. He said he skated outside a few times in colder areas of British Columbia and in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament several years ago.

“Other than that, not a whole lot,” Bedard said. “It’ll be a little different for me, but I’m excited for it.”

It’s been an exciting week for Bedard. He’s feeling better about his game -- he has 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 37 games -- he’s coming off a great Christmas in Chicago, the second consecutive one spent here with his dad Tom, mom Melanie and sister Madison. They’ll certainly be here for the Winter Classic on Tuesday.

It’s going to be a different experience, but Bedard is looking forward to it.

“In the end, we’re excited to play a game,” he said. “It’s a different stage, so that always excites you a little bit.”