So we’ll just go ahead and get the Friday party started with the topic du jour in Chicago and beyond in the hockey world lately. Let’s all criticize Connor Bedard!
Over the weekend, Mark Messier hopped on ESPN and threw some shade at Bedard. He went as far as to say the Blackhawks should take ice time away from Bedard because of what Messier perceived as less-than-full effort defensively on a Panthers goal.
Mark Messier on Connor Bedard #Blackhawks t.co/iLNuUzED3P pic.twitter.com/oXIyH30r9q
— Wally Mazurek (@WallMaz35) February 1, 2025The latest nationally televised criticism directed at the 19-year-old phenom came from Paul Bissonnette and Anson Carter during the second intermission of Wednesday night’s Blackhawks-Oilers game.
“That is pond hockey.”@BizNasty2point0 wants to see Bedard take his game to the NHL level and leave the pond hockey behind. pic.twitter.com/ky8GbZqBRu
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 6, 2025What’s wild to me is that the criticism coming from Bissonnette — he of the 7 career goals and 340 career PIM — is based more on the actual game play and reality than what we heard from Messier — who scored 694 regular-season goals in his Hall of Fame career.
Biz has heard his share of replies from Blackhawks fans defending Bedard in his comments. And, to his credit, he was pretty up front with a couple responses on the artist formerly known as Twitter on Thursday. He went as far as to reply to one fan who pointed out Bedard’s backcheck had a few strong moments in the third period by reminding that fan that these comments were during the second intermission — before those plays.
After Messier’s criticism, other Blackhawks and the coaches were asked about the comments. And they all had to do the dance over again after Bissonnette’s comments on Wednesday night. Because when talking heads on national broadcasts focus their comments on the face of the franchise, that warrants reaction.
“There were some really good parts of his game, and there [was] some puck-management stuff,” interim head coach Anders Sorensen said Thursday. “He’s a smart player, but he’s aware. Even if you look at those turnovers he had, if you look at who’s the first guy back after those turnovers, it’s him. So he knows.”
Pat Maroon was on the Cuppa Coffee podcast with our old friend Colby Cohen on Thursday and gave us a perspective from the other players in the room:
I believe the term used last night to describe Bedard’s night was pond hockey. Do you all agree with the recent criticism? I asked Pat Maroon for his thoughts this morning. #Blackhawks @DailyFaceoff | @JLazzy23 Presented by @bet365ca #NeverOrdinary #bet365 pic.twitter.com/HUx7EAVDnf
— Colby Cohen (@ColbyCohen36) February 6, 2025The first chance the media had to ask Bedard about the criticism again this week, he had to answer the bell. And he did. Bedard has never backed away from a camera since he got drafted and, while he might get frustrated by repetitive questions at times, he has done a good job of keeping his cool and answering. That didn’t change on Thursday.
“I’m not watching broadcasts or anything. I’m playing hockey. Their job is to say what they see. I couldn’t really care less what people on the outside think of me. But I’m not going to be butthurt if someone says I made a bad play. It’s their job.”
“I know if I mess up a play. … If I make a mistake, I know. So I don't need to watch a TNT broadcast to figure out if I made a mistake. I’m going to know.”—Connor Bedard on Paul Bissonnette’s criticisms of Bedard, including that he plays “pond hockey” pic.twitter.com/0BStA8KakG
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 6, 2025So… here’s my thing with all of this. Are there areas where Bedard needs to be better and clean things up? Absolutely. But I go back to what Maroon said, which echoes what all of the other players in the room have said. The Blackhawks need the creative, offensively gifted Connor Bedard to do what he can do because he’s their best/only chance to score multiple goals most nights.
A lot of people have brought up Patrick Kane as a comp, especially after Bedard tried a couple spin passes in the Edmonton game that led to some of the pond hockey comments.
I want to be crystal clear that I am saying the following with all due respect to all of the players involved.
When Patrick Kane was 19, and he tried one of those spin passes, the guy streaking to the net was a 26-year-old Patrick Sharp. Or a 20-year-old Jonathan Toews. And, more times than not, one of those two Olympic gold medalists and three-time Stanley Cup champions would be in the right spot to finish the magic pass and we got to re-watch it on Sportscenter later that night and the next morning.
When Connor Bedard tried the spin passes on Wednesday night, the guys streaking to the net were… Landon Slaggert (a good rookie) and Ryan Donato (having a career year). Again, respectfully, neither of them is Sharp or Toews.
Bedard trying to make those plays shows us he’s comfortable enough to at least think it’s possible. It also tells us — and the front office — that getting a player into that spot who can finish the ridiculous plays that Bedard tries to make needs to be Priority Nos. 1-10 this summer.
I’m sure part of Messier’s comments were frustration that the Blackhawks were playing like absolute ass in Florida on Sunday but ESPN had to show a Bedard clip during that intermission and comment on it because their metrics say Bedard draws eyeballs. And, at that point in the game, they opted to go with a play that didn’t go well for Bedard.
And, again, he’s 19. He’s on a team that doesn’t have skill players around him to the level that Kane was afforded when he was trying many of the same things back in the day.
I am in no way, shape of form saying that Bedard should be exempt from criticism. Every player does dumb shit in every game. But I will say the amount of times Bedard gets singled out and we have to watch a montage of what he does wrong at this point feels excessive. But that comes with being the young face of the franchise.
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