Controversial Former Referee Tim Peel Goes After Connor Bedard on Social Media
The controversial former referee Tim Peel went after Chicago Blackhawks' forward Connor Bedard on social media.
Tim Peel, who was fired from the NHL after getting caught being biased during a game in a hot mic incident, never shies away from speaking his mind on multiple hot topics involving the National Hockey League.
Yesterday, he talked about Connor Bedard and compared him to Macklin Celebrini in a post on X.
He wrote that "Bedard is no Celebrini", and added the hashtag "overrated", suggesting he thinks that Bedard isn't as good as people believe.
Check it out:
Bedard and Celebrini were drafted first overall in 2023 and 2024, and are poised for long and successful careers in the NHL.
As Peel should know, it is much too early to compare them. The sample is too small and they aren't playing with players of the same caliber.
Bedard, 19, scored 94 points, including 32 goals, in 106 games in the NHL.
As for Celebrini, 18, scored 12 goals and 15 assists in 28 games so far.
Celebrini is a year younger and is playing his rookie season right now. Bedard may be older, but in the NHL, we often see players in their second year struggling.
In the first year, coaches usually don't give too much instructions to players, as they want them to get acclimated to the league.
However, in the second year, coaches like to give more responsibilities to young players. Talented forwards such as Bedard and Celebrini are poised to work on their defensive capabilities in their second seasons, as we saw with many current NHL stars.
Anyone who knows hockey well won't say that one of them is better than the other. No one knows what will happen in their career. The debate could be held in 15 or 20 years when we can truly compare their careers by the numbers.
Meanwhile, Peel, like anyone who compares young players, should stand back and think twice before posting their opinions on social media.
