SALT LAKE CITY — Days off within the NHL are valuable. Days off on the highway in a brand new metropolis are unheard-of. Connor Bedard has plans to benefit from the heat, sunny Wednesday following the season opener in opposition to the brand new Utah Hockey Membership — lunch together with his dad, Tom, earlier than he catches a day flight house, then dinner up in Park Metropolis with the boys.
However right here he’s, contemporary off breakfast, carrying the usual hockey-player hoodie and slides, coming down the palatial hallway of the crew’s five-star resort for a uncommon sit-down interview. Make no mistake, maybe no participant within the league met the press extra repeatedly than Bedard final 12 months. He greater than fulfilled his media obligations. Nevertheless it was nearly all the time within the dressing room, in a scrum setting. One-on-one time was very unusual. Full-blown informal conversations have been mainly off the desk.
And as any athlete, reporter or viewer will let you know, scrums are absolutely the worst. As a bloc, we don’t all the time precisely cowl ourselves in glory in these claustrophobic settings.
“It’s exhausting to indicate persona if you’re getting the identical questions on a regular basis,” Bedard mentioned with a wry smile.
However now that he’s a second-year professional, a wily veteran on the ripe outdated age of 19, may we see extra of that persona shine by means of? He’s exhibiting it on Instagram movies, making soccer picks together with his buddies. He’s kicking off snarky NHL commercials about Gen Z’s supposed flaws. And he’s beginning to do occasional interviews like this one. It’s not precisely his fashion to be large and bombastic off the ice, however his consolation stage with the NHL and with stardom is clearly on the rise.
Right here’s a part of our dialog, focusing extra on the hockey aspect of issues. It’s been calmly edited for readability. Search for the remainder of our chat in a future story.
You’re on tempo for 164 factors this season. Something lower than that shall be a disappointment, I assume?
Yeah, I feel in all probability for you guys, you’d be upset. The downfall! No, I imply, it was good to only get again within the sport. And it’s cool we acquired to be part of that first sport there. Clearly not a terrific consequence (a 5-2 loss), however I believed total as the sport went on we acquired loads higher. And it was simply enjoyable to be part of that second in historical past.
One of many issues I heard within the run-up to the draft was that you simply’re ‘obsessive about greatness.’ I’ve heard that very same factor mentioned about Nathan MacKinnon in the very same means — you’ve gotten a singular mindset that you simply wish to be nice. Is that simply an innate factor you’ve gotten, the place you may’t settle for something lower than that?
I feel so. Whilst a child. I used to be 5 years outdated and it’s actually all I wished to do. I feel that’s the factor — it’s clearly a ardour and I wish to be the very best I will be. Nevertheless it simply usually is what I wish to be doing, and I wish to attempt to enhance, and I don’t wish to look again someday and really feel I didn’t attain my full potential.
What’s that full potential? What do you see as your ceiling?
I don’t know. I feel I will be fairly good. However we’ll see. I’m assured in myself and that confidence comes from the work I put in. I do know that I’m not going to cheat myself and cheat that potential to get to the very best I will be. How good is that? Who is aware of. However I feel it’s fairly good.
It’s such a hockey participant factor to be humble and downplay issues on the surface. However all 700 guys within the NHL need to have this unwavering self-belief, this vanity. You possibly can’t get right here with out that. Connor McDavid talked about that just a little bit (on the Amazon present), ‘After I’m at my finest, it’s a troublesome stage to match.’ You must have that perspective, don’t you?
For positive. When you go on the market pondering that you simply’re not going to do one thing good, then you definitely already misplaced the battle. I’m actually assured in myself and I don’t want to inform anybody what I feel I can do or what I feel I’m as a participant. I wish to go present it. In my head earlier than a sport, I’m simply going on the market having enjoyable, but additionally understanding I wish to make a distinction within the sport. And I do know I can.
You already informed me you received’t inform me what your targets are for the season, however do you’ve gotten targets like that career-wise, too? Do you’ve gotten spherical numbers in your head the place it’s like, ‘That is what I’ve to do to achieve my potential?’
That’s so long-term. I feel anybody’s purpose in hockey ever since they have been youngsters is to win a Stanley Cup. And that’s the principle factor for everybody. So if that occurs, it could clearly be the head. It’s exhausting to have a look at a full profession and put numbers to it.
“I’d by no means let you know, however I’ve stuff in my head, for positive.”
—Connor Bedard when @MarkLazerus requested if he has statistical targets in thoughts pic.twitter.com/75Jlf7Lwz9
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) September 20, 2024
So that you’re not simply pondering 1,000 targets or one thing wild like that.
(Laughs) No, no, I don’t assume so.
Is that a part of this course of, although? You are available in and also you wish to win the Stanley Cup and also you’ve been dominant at each stage. Then you definately get to the NHL and it’s exhausting. You’re on a crew that’s on the backside, working its means up. Studying to lose, studying to deal with going two or three video games with no purpose — is that troublesome?
Yeah, dropping sucks. I feel you may ask anybody that was on our crew final 12 months, it wasn’t very enjoyable. Particularly by the tip. You’re out and also you’re nonetheless having fun with enjoying and there’s stuff you’re enjoying for, however we’re skilled athletes and we wish to be enjoying to win. That was actually irritating. I can undoubtedly be a little bit of a child going by means of all these losses. However even dropping the final sport, it’s how we bounce again. That’ll be one thing that we present that we acquired loads higher at.
Jonathan Toews was an enormous child, too, when he first acquired into the league. He took his work house with him, yelled and screamed at his linemates on the bench, threw issues within the locker room. It takes time to simply accept the ebbs and flows of the game.
Yeah, yeah, for positive. My first 12 months (in junior) we misplaced an excellent quantity of video games. And I bear in mind I had a troublesome begin. However after that in junior, it was smoother crusing. We had a greater second 12 months as a crew and I had an excellent second 12 months myself, I suppose (laughs). It’s undoubtedly totally different coming in and also you’re simply enjoying all the very best gamers on the planet. However that’s what’s so enjoyable about hockey, the competitiveness and the problem of going up each evening in opposition to the very best.
You must watch out, too, proper? Patrick Kane, his final couple of years right here when issues began going poorly, he was all the time fearful about younger gamers coming in and growing dropping habits and a dropping mindset. How do you struggle that when Kyle (Davidson) is enjoying an extended sport? How do you study to not settle for dropping, however to grasp dropping? It’s a high quality line to stroll.
I don’t even assume it’s best to perceive it. We’re gamers, we go on the market and we attempt to win and that’s our purpose each evening. You by no means settle for it. I suppose possibly in the summertime you may take a look at the long run, however probably not as gamers. You simply go on the market and also you attempt to win and also you attempt to play your finest.
Did the captaincy curiosity you in any respect? Or is that one thing for down the highway? Are you even too younger to be a captain?
(Laughs) That’s not a query for me. I don’t assume anybody was stunned with (Nick Foligno) getting it. He’s a terrific chief and he got here in and made a big effect. Nobody was stunned in any respect with that. Down the highway someday, that’d be nice. However I didn’t count on it or something. All of us anticipated ‘Fliggy’ to get it.
Are you able to be that form of captain? Some captains are the massive, open, gregarious guys like Foligno, however some are very totally different.
I’d be totally different. I wouldn’t speak as a lot as Nick does (laughs). I feel I lead by instance with how I strategy the sport. Speaking comes with time. I undoubtedly would have just a little totally different strategy, however I feel you may study stuff from all of the leaders within the room.
With all of the turnover on the roster, I’m positive it’s thrilling that you simply’re bringing in all these high quality gamers. However you misplaced a bunch of your good pals, too. Taylor Raddysh was considered one of your closest pals, he walks out the door. MacKenzie Entwistle is gone. Is that simply a part of life within the NHL?
It’s bizarre, for positive. It’s a part of the enterprise aspect of it, however you (by no means) actually take into consideration that an excessive amount of if you’re enjoying. You simply assume you’re going to play with these guys eternally. ‘Rads’ and ‘Twisty,’ I went for dinner with them each single time on the highway. I used to be shut with these two guys. It’s powerful seeing everybody go. However they’re in good conditions and also you’re comfortable for them getting alternatives. Nevertheless it’s powerful, and also you simply keep in contact.
So are you having fun with being an NHL participant? Is that this what you dreamed it could be?
Yeah. I simply wish to play the sport and play on the highest stage I can. It’s fairly cool how we get handled and the alternatives we now have, not solely on the ice however easy methods to affect a metropolis or a neighborhood. We’re all fairly lucky.
So 40 targets or 50 targets this 12 months, what’s the goal?
(Laughs) I don’t know, we’ll see, man.
All proper. Needed to attempt.
(Picture: Michael Reaves / Getty Pictures)