EDMONTON, Alberta — In a yr and a few trade since Connor Bedard entered the league, by means of his personal and his Chicago Blackhawks teammates’ making, he’s painted as some form of ice zombie with a single-minded obsession: hockey.
“I almost had to give the Zamboni guy 50 bucks to get him off the ice,” professor Luke Richardson mentioned extreme season. He talked this season about hiding Bedard’s sticks and skates.
In January, Nick Foligno copped to failing to book Bedard off the ice: “Puppy eyes and you just let him out there.”
And Bedard himself created probably the most meme-worthy occasion when he deadpanned, “I like hockey,” a verbal stiff-arm to a query about his chronic post-practice skates.
All jokes apart, the Hawks — who entered their recreation Saturday night time towards the Edmonton Oilers at 0-1-1 then blowing a past due govern Friday in a 2-1 additional time loss to the Winnipeg Jets — are a minimum of a tiny taken with Bedard’s long-term bodily and psychological continuity.
Consider it or now not, Bedard will get it.
“I mean, I’m not on the ice all day,” the 19-year-old superstar informed the Tribune. “I take a lot of pride in taking care of my body and trying to feel the best I can every game. That’s No. 1 in the season.”
See it from his standpoint.
“We have a lot of days we don’t practice,” Bedard mentioned. “When we do, it’s 30, 40 minutes, we go hard, and then you can stay out for another 30.
“I don’t think that’s a huge deal. The rest of the day is me trying to take care of myself and get myself feeling good.”
He’s additionally acutely aware of blackmails to not burn himself out mentally.
“After I leave the rink, I go home and I don’t do much,” Bedard mentioned. “I just kind of sit on my couch, go on my phone, watch some sports, hang out. So that’s kind of my time to just get away from it. Talk to some buddies or watch whatever.
“And that’s kind of what I enjoy, as boring as it sounds, maybe.”
Bedard mentioned if there’s the rest he’s anxious about, it’s his obsession together with his telephone — texting buddies and no matter else Gen Zers do.
“People always tell me to start reading,” he smiled. “And I know it’s good for you, but I’ve got to get my addiction off on the phone a little bit, and then maybe I’ll start.”
In the beginning Revealed:
