BOSTON – Timing, as in life as well as in hockey, can be everything.
When a generational talent emerges into the world is just as important as who it is and what he has.
In the 1980s, an otherworldly talent came along to lift the game into the same rarified air as the superstars of baseball, basketball and football, and seed expansion into the United States. Enter Wayne Gretzky.
In the 1990s, an outsize talent was needed to bust through what had become a sluggish, thuggish game, to reassure us talented hockey players can still thrive. Enter Mario Lemieux.
As the scale began to tip more toward skill and away from brawn, a player was needed who was a master of lifting his team by scoring in clutch situations, a fireplug with skill. Enter Sidney Crosby.
And then, with the players gradually getting more space, a player who wasn’t necessarily stocky or hockey-big but had supersonic speed with ultra-skills was the best fit. Enter Connor McDavid.
Which brings us to today. With the game faster and, arguably, better than ever in terms of pure hockey, it doesn’t matter as much how big you are or whether you’re willing to drop the gloves. These days, (relatively) smaller and speedier players are getting more space to maneuver, more time to see the ice, more freedom to make that extra move.
Enter Connor Bedard.
On Wednesday, Bedard, 18, in just his second NHL game, further added to the burgeoning hype with an eye-opening performance while scoring his first NHL goal in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. Trent Frederic and David Pastrnak, with two, had the goals for the Bruins in their first game of their centennial season.
Bedard was everywhere, the puck following him around the ice, your eyes drawn to him every time he was on the ice, his very own personal iso-cam, raising pulses on both sides of the puck.
And he made the hearts of Blackhawks fans flutter for a different reason when, tied up with Hampus Lindholm while fighting for the puck on the fly heading toward the net late in the third, he went down and slammed the boards skates-first and then jammed his back. Apparently winded and clearly in pain, he took his time getting up after the whistle. He returned for the next shift and said afterward, tersely, that he was “yeah, I’m great, I’m fine.”
Bedard’s first NHL goal, surely an event of historic noteworthiness, came on a nifty wraparound that capped a sloppy exchange between two teams looking for clues on choppy ice. The goal was a mix of speed, knowing where the puck is, and, conveniently keeping with our theme, timing.
For Bedard, in addition to it being his first NHL goal and therefore a “relief” to have it out of the way, was significant because it came with his parents and sister in attendance and in an Original Six building, “a really cool moment.”
And the thing is, there were indications of more. In the first period alone, over six shifts, he created scoring opportunities for himself (three shots) and others on at least three occasions. He maintained that momentum throughout the game, finishing with the highest time-on-ice total of all forwards on either team, at 21:44.
The adjustment has seemingly been seamless for Bedard, as he was often dictating the play as he did while playing for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, as well as at the world juniors in Halifax, where he led Canada to gold with a record-setting performance.
“Just obviously less time, better players,” he said of the difference between the NHL and WHL. “The West is obviously a great league, but this is the best league in the world for a reason. And, of course, getting adjusted (because) you’ve got to be making quicker plays and everything. But I felt like from a personal standpoint it’s gone pretty well. But there’s definitely some areas I got to improve and there’s some plays where I maybe could have made in junior that I’m realizing I might not be able to here.”
Clearly, Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson has confidence in Bedard, sending him out repeatedly, starting him for the opening faceoff for the second night in a row, and letting the wild horse run free when the moment calls for it, highlighted by No. 98 staying out for the entirety of a power play late in the first.
“You know what? It’s great because he’s going to keep getting these opportunities because he’s creative and he’s instinctive,” Richardson said.
But make no mistake – as big as his talent is, being (generously listed at) five-foot-10 and 185 pounds might have resulted in a different story in yesterday’s NHL.
His timing is perfect.
None other than Brad Marchand, the Bruins captain who is listed as five-foot-nine and 176 pounds and came into the league 14 years ago as a smallish forward – “I’m bigger than him,” the Halifax native interjected – knows a little about how the game has changed to allow for a player such as Bedard to shine.
“Now, the game is more based on speed and skill,” Marchand said before taking the ice against Bedard. “Back then, there’s still a lot more size. Now, you’re seeing a lot of smaller guys that can move that are agile, you know, so it’s definitely not as big of a deal to be an undersized guy in today’s game.”
Regardless, there’s no mistaking that talent.
“With his ability, the things that he can do, you’re seeing that more and more,” said Marchand, 35. “And kids nowadays coming up, they just worked so much on their speed and skating and their skill work, and then it shows when they come up. I mean, now, as an older guy, we have to work on all that stuff to keep up with those guys in that area. So, it’s a different game today.”
Sure, it’s early. But rest assured, the new generation of players pushing the game to where it’s never been before has its leader. The latest generational talent is here.
Next chance to see Bedard in action is Saturday, when his Blackhawks travel to the Bell Centre to take on the Montreal Canadiens. You can watch the game on “Hockey Night in Canada” on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
