Connor Bedard is having a fantastic season. On Sunday, he lit it up once again, recording four points against the Anaheim Ducks. But he also showed some heat — chirping at his close friend Mason McTavish after one of his goals.
Connor Bedard was seen as a generational talent when he was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023. And in his third NHL season, he’s shown why. After Sunday’s incredible display, Bedard is tied for second in points in the NHL this season with Macklin Celebrini, only trailing Nathan MacKinnon. Bedard has 16 goals and 37 points through 25 games, and his four-point night on Sunday helped lead the Blackhawks to victory from a three-goal deficit.
The Ducks held a 3–0 lead with just 10:25 played in the first period, but Tyler Bertuzzi scored before the first buzzer to make it 1–3, and early in the second Chicago scored another one. Connor Bedard had an assist on both goals, and in the third period, with the game tied 3–3, he stepped up big when his team needed it. He first scored to give the Blackhawks the lead, and with two minutes left, he added an empty-netter to seal the win.
Connor Bedard chirped Anaheim
But Bedard showed more than just skills, goals, and assists in the game. He played with a lot of emotion, got in the faces of his opponents, and showed some real feistiness throughout it all. When he scored the empty-netter, he quickly turned to the Ducks’ bench and chirped them — and it looked especially targeted at Mason McTavish. They had both gone at it during the game, and when Bedard eventually decided it, he couldn’t help but give him a piece of his mind.
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The funny part? Bedard and McTavish are close friends off the ice, but that didn’t stop them during the game, and after the buzzer, they needed to be separated as the Ducks’ stars looked to get a piece of Bedard. Perhaps their friendship is also why Bedard decided to chirp the bench after his goal.
“We’re pretty close,” Bedard said, per The Athletic. “But that’s who he is. I think he’s someone that always wants to compete. I was roommates with him and was teammates with him for a couple of years, and everything we do, he’s trying to make it a competition. He’s such a great player, such a good competitor. He’s a fun guy to play against. Fun to go at it with him. I’ll probably go say hi to him right now. But it’s fun to play guys like that.”
Bedard was praised by fans, teammates, and coaches for the competitiveness he showed during the game, helping turn it around.
“Yeah, to be honest with you,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “I just don’t know any great players who aren’t hyper-competitive … They want to win their shifts. They want to win the game. They want to win at everything they do. He’s certainly got that trait.”
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