Connor Bedard Opens Up On His Least Favourite Part Of Being An NHLer: The Part He Can't Stand

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Tom Banks
November 7, 2024 (10:07)

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Connor Bedard has taken the NHL by storm over the past 18 months, but there's one part of the role that he is certainly still getting used too.

Ever since he was 12 years old, Connor Bedard has been a huge name for the future of hockey in Canada, and through his time in the Junior ranks with the Regina Pats and Team Canada's World Juniors squad, all the way to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. In the time since that draft, Bedard has shown that he's capable of incredible things in the NHL, with the Chicago Blackhawks believing they landed a cornerstone of their franchise for years and years to come.

Unsurprisingly, with all of that history and the hype behind him, the NHL are trying to push Bedard as a major star of the future, and with that comes not only pressure on the ice but away from it too. That was on full display recently when Bedard joined the likes of Nick Suzuki, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Jack Hughes and Auston Matthews for the NHL's latest commercial, one that was received well by all fans as the league is finally trying to promote their biggest names.

The commercial ended with the phrase 'the next golden generation is here', and given that he was one of the stars, one would expect Bedard to be happy with his role. However, the young star has now opened up on the media side of his role in the NHL, stating that it's certainly his least favourite part of playing hockey, while also addressing the commercial that saw much fanfare on social media.

"It was fine. It was in Vegas (during the player media tour), we were just going station to station. But it turned out really well, I think. People enjoyed it. I think the NHL is doing a lot of stuff like that, trying to promote us off the ice, as well, a little bit. I think they did a good job," Bedard said.

"It's not fun, really. But it's part of it. It's not what I love to do. If I did, I'd be an actor. But I'm a hockey player. It's not my No. 1 thing, but it's fine."

Unfortunately for Bedard, given the stardom he's now found, this will become a bigger and bigger part of his role, especially as older stars like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin depart the league, so it's something that he's simply going to need to come to terms with.