Bedard would be ‘incredibly honored’ to play for Blackhawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
“If they do decide to take me, I’d be incredibly honored.”
That’s what Connor Bedard told Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist and the rest of the “NHL on TNT” pregame panel when asked about the possibility of being taken number one overall by the Blackhawks in the NHL Draft on June 28.
It’s what he told reporters hours earlier, when he said it would be “unbelievable” if the Blackhawks took him first.
“If.”
Bedard can’t be knocked for such a politically correct, if not humble, response in the same way Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson can’t be blamed for refusing to state what’s so blindingly obvious. It’s what they’re supposed to do. Play it coy and hope some sort of one-in-a-million catastrophe doesn’t ruin the one-in-a-million opportunity within each of their grasps.
Anything can happen. We know this much by virtue of the very circumstance. Davidson knows this. Bedard, who was in awe of the slot machines as soon as he stepped off the plane at the Las Vegas airport, knows it, too.
The NHL annually invites its top prospects to the Stanley Cup Final to mingle with players, do some press and take in the atmosphere, which Bedard said he could use some getting used to after being overwhelmed by fans at his hotel.
“It’s definitely something you’ve got to get used to,” he said. “I’m still obviously a kid. There’s a lot of outside noise surrounding myself and a lot of these guys. For me, I try to look at it as a positive. I’ve been very fortunate to have some of these experiences. World Juniors and being here, these are things that not everybody gets to do. So I’m really grateful for that.”
A lot of things in life happen by chance.
The Blackhawks winning the draft lottery. A 17-year-old boy blessed with enough talent to have the sport he loves in the palm of his hands.
But when it comes to the Blackhawks not drafting Bedard, there’s not one teeny-tiny, microscopic, molecular “if” about it.
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