Connor Bedard is excited about playing the first game of his career in his hometown of Vancouver on Saturday night, even if the visit will cost him a few extra dollars.
Asked how many of his relatives were going to attend the visit of the Chicago Blackhawks to Rogers Arena, the 19-year-old forward did not want to come forward.
“It’s not a crazy number, but I’m going to have to pay to play for an evening,” Bedard explained, with a small smile, on Wednesday.
Last year, Bedard was injured during the Blackhawks’ visit to Vancouver, so this will be the first opportunity for him to play in front of a large number of friends and family at the NHL level.
The Hawks will spend Sunday in Vancouver which will allow Bedard to return home for dinner with his parents.
By his own admission, Bedard is not satisfied with his performances at the start of the season where he has three goals and ten assists in 16 games. However, Bedard did not want to attribute his dissatisfaction to the numerous line changes that have occurred among the Hawks in recent weeks.
“You’ve been asking about it over the last ten days, so whatever the lines are, we’re doing our job and we’re trying to play well,” Bedard told reporters.
Currently, Bedard plays center for Phillip Kurashev and Teuvo Teravainen, but he has also spent time with Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi on the ice since the start of the season.
Head coach Luke Richardson also commented on the lack of production from his young star, but he also acknowledged that he might need to make some changes to the team to help get it out of its slump.
“He’s got to find that consistency no matter who he’s playing with,” Richardson said. “But we have to look at the numbers and see who he plays well with. »
Canada
