SALT LAKE CITY — Days off within the NHL are treasured. Days off at the street in a brandnew town are unheard-of. Connor Bedard has plans to benefit from the heat, light Wednesday following the season opener in opposition to the brandnew Utah Hockey Membership — lunch together with his dad, Tom, prior to he catches a day flying house, after dinner up in Terrain Town with the lads.
However right here he’s, new off breakfast, dressed in the usual hockey-player hoodie and slides, coming unwell the palatial hallway of the group’s five-star lodge for a unprecedented sit-down interview. Form disagree mistake, most likely disagree participant within the league met the clicking extra steadily than Bedard utmost yr. He greater than fulfilled his media tasks. But it surely was once virtually all the time within the dressing room, in a scrum environment. One-on-one week was once very unusual. Complete-blown aimless conversations had been principally 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 barricade ourselves in glory in the ones claustrophobic settings.
“It’s hard to show personality when you’re getting the same questions all the time,” Bedard mentioned with a wry smile.
However now that he’s a second-year professional, a wily veteran on the ripe impaired past of nineteen, may we see extra of that character glimmer via? He’s appearing it on Instagram movies, making soccer choices together with his friends. He’s kicking off snarky NHL commercials about Gen Z’s supposed flaws. And he’s launch to do occasional interviews like this one. It’s now not precisely his taste to be fat and bombastic off the ice, however his condolense stage with the NHL and with stardom is obviously at the arise.
Right here’s a part of our dialog, focusing extra at the hockey facet of items. It’s been calmly edited for readability. Search for the residue of our chat in a day tale.
You’re on hour for 164 issues this season. The rest lower than that shall be a unhappiness, I suppose?
Yeah, I feel almost definitely for you guys, you’d be dissatisfied. The downfall! Negative, I ruthless, it was once great to simply get again within the sport. And it’s cool we were given to be part of that first sport there. Clearly now not a admirable result (a 5-2 loss), however I believed total as the sport went on we were given a bundle higher. And it was once simply a laugh to be part of that hour in historical past.
Some of the issues I heard within the run-up to the draft was once that you simply’re ‘obsessed with greatness.’ I’ve heard that very same factor mentioned about Nathan MacKinnon in the very same means — you’ve a novel mindset that you need to be admirable. Is that simply an innate factor you’ve, the place you’ll be able to’t settle for anything else lower than that?
I feel so. At the same time as a child. I used to be 5 years impaired and it’s truly all I sought after to do. I feel that’s the article — it’s clearly a zeal and I wish to be the most productive I will be able to be. But it surely simply usually is what I wish to be doing, and I wish to aim to fortify, and I don’t wish to glance again one month and really feel I didn’t succeed in my complete possible.
What’s that complete possible? What do you see as your ceiling?
I don’t know. I feel I will be able to be good-looking just right. However we’ll see. I’m assured in myself and that self belief comes from the paintings I installed. I do know that I’m now not taking to cheat myself and cheat that talent to get to the most productive I will be able to be. How just right is that? Who is aware of. However I feel it’s good-looking just right.
It’s this type of hockey participant factor to be humble and downplay issues at the outdoor. However all 700 guys within the NHL need to have this i’m sure self-belief, this ego. You’ll be able to’t get right here with out that. Connor McDavid mentioned {that a} minute bit (at the Amazon display), ‘When I’m at my very best, it’s a difficult stage to check.’ You must have that angle, don’t you?
Needless to say. When you progress available in the market pondering that you simply’re now not taking to do one thing just right, after you already misplaced the combat. I’m truly assured in myself and I don’t want to inform any individual what I feel I will be able to do or what I feel I’m as a participant. I wish to progress display it. In my head prior to a sport, I’m simply going available in the market having a laugh, but in addition figuring out I wish to assemble a residue within the sport. And I do know I will be able to.
You already instructed me you received’t inform me what your objectives are for the season, however do you’ve objectives like that career-wise, too? Do you’ve spherical numbers for your head the place it’s like, ‘This is what I have to do to reach my potential?’
That’s so long-term. I feel any individual’s function in hockey ever since they had been children is to win a Stanley Cup. And that’s the primary factor for everybody. So if that occurs, it might clearly be the head. It’s crisp to take a look at a complete profession and put numbers to it.
“I’d never tell you, but I have stuff in my head, for sure.”
—Connor Bedard when @MarkLazerus requested if he has statistical objectives in thoughts pic.twitter.com/75Jlf7Lwz9
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) September 20, 2024
So that you’re now not simply pondering 1,000 objectives or one thing wild like that.
(Laughs) Negative, disagree, I don’t assume so.
Is that a part of this procedure, regardless that? You are available in and you need to win the Stanley Cup and also you’ve been dominant at each stage. Next you get to the NHL and it’s crisp. You’re on a group that’s on the base, running its means up. Studying to lose, studying to care for going two or 3 video games with out a function — is that tricky?
Yeah, dropping sucks. I feel you’ll be able to ask any individual that was once on our group utmost yr, it wasn’t very a laugh. Particularly via the tip. You’re out and also you’re nonetheless taking part in taking part in and there’s belongings you’re taking part in for, however we’re skilled athletes and we wish to be taking part in to win. That was once truly irritating. I will be able to for sure be just a little of a child going via all the ones losses. However even dropping the utmost sport, it’s how we soar again. That’ll be one thing that we display that we were given a bundle higher at.
Jonathan Toews was once a profusion child, too, when he first were given into the league. He took his paintings house with him, yelled and screamed at his linemates at the bench, threw issues within the storehouse room. It takes week to simply accept the ebbs and flows of the game.
Yeah, yeah, needless to say. My first yr (in juvenile) we misplaced a just right quantity of video games. And I have in mind I had a difficult get started. However next that during juvenile, it was once smoother crusing. We had a greater moment yr as a group and I had a just right moment yr myself, I assumption (laughs). It’s for sure other coming in and also you’re simply taking part in all of the very best gamers on the planet. However that’s what’s so a laugh about hockey, the competitiveness and the problem of going up each evening in opposition to the most productive.
You must watch out, too, proper? Patrick Kane, his utmost couple of years right here when issues began going poorly, he was once all the time nervous about younger gamers coming in and growing dropping conduct and a dropping mindset. How do you combat that after Kyle (Davidson) is taking part in a protracted sport? How do you learn how to now not settle for dropping, however to know dropping? It’s a high quality sequence to proceed.
I don’t even assume you must are aware of it. We’re gamers, we progress available in the market and we aim to win and that’s our function each evening. You by no means settle for it. I assumption possibly in the summertime you’ll be able to take a look at the longer term, however now not truly as gamers. You simply progress available in the market and also you aim to win and also you aim to play games your very best.
Did the captaincy pastime you in any respect? Or is that one thing for unwell the street? Are you even too younger to be a captain?
(Laughs) That’s now not a query for me. I don’t assume any individual was once stunned with (Nick Foligno) getting it. He’s a admirable chief and he got here in and made a fat have an effect on. No person was once stunned in any respect with that. Ill the street one month, that’d be admirable. However I didn’t be expecting it or anything else. All of us anticipated ‘Fliggy’ to get it.
Are you able to be that roughly captain? Some captains are the fat, seen, gregarious guys like Foligno, however some are very other.
I might be other. I wouldn’t communicate up to Nick does (laughs). I feel I top via instance with how I means the sport. Speaking comes with week. I for sure would have a minute other means, however I feel you’ll be able to be told stuff from all of the leaders within the room.
With all of the giveover at the roster, I’m certain it’s thrilling that you simply’re bringing in most of these constituent gamers. However you misplaced a host of your just right pals, too. Taylor Raddysh was once certainly one of your closest pals, he walks out the door. MacKenzie Entwistle is long past. Is that simply a part of hour within the NHL?
It’s bizarre, needless to say. It’s a part of the industry facet of it, however you (by no means) truly take into consideration that excess whilst you’re taking part in. You simply assume you’re taking to play games with those guys ceaselessly. ‘Rads’ and ‘Twisty,’ I went for dinner with them each unmarried week at the street. I used to be related with the ones two guys. It’s tricky perceptible everybody progress. However they’re in just right statuses and also you’re glad for them getting alternatives. But it surely’s tricky, and also you simply keep in contact.
So are you taking part in being an NHL participant? Is that this what you dreamed it might be?
Yeah. I simply wish to play games the sport and play games on the perfect stage I will be able to. It’s good-looking cool how we get handled and the alternatives we now have, now not best at the ice however tips on how to have an effect on a town or a folk. We’re all good-looking lucky.
So 40 objectives or 50 objectives this yr, what’s the objective?
(Laughs) I don’t know, we’ll see, guy.
All proper. Needed to aim.
(Picture: Michael Reaves / Getty Photographs)
