His No. 98 jersey, at least, was everywhere Tuesday in Pittsburgh, as the new rookie and future face of the Chicago Blackhawks took his rookie lap around the ice with no bucket, as the fans cheered "Fire Matt Canada".
The future has arrived for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago opened its season with a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Tuesday's showdown at PPG Paints Arena. All eyes were on Connor Bedard, and the rookie center delivered with the first of many points to come while helping lead the visitors to a comeback win.
It was fitting that the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NHL draft played his first game against Sidney Crosby. After all, past No. 1 picks such as Crosby and Connor McDavid represent the blueprint that Bedard is expected to follow as a franchise savior and generational talent who can lead Chicago back into Stanley Cup contention.
A mic’d-up Bedard skated over to celebrate with his teammates an understated celebration to be clear, with the Blackhawks trailing 2-1. The soft-spoken Bedard didn’t make much of his accomplishment during a second intermission interview with Sportsnet’s Sean Reynolds. “Yeah, it feels good. Something you want to get your whole life, of course.”
“Obviously, as games go on you just get more comfortable, get more in it,” Bedard said. “That’s the game I’ve been playing for however many years now. It’s a lot of fun, but yeah, just like I said before, just trying to get better every shift and adjust myself to playing against the best players in the world.” The future is definitely bright for Bedard.