Connor Bedard is due to lack of hype motivation – Hockey Writer – Chicago Blackhawks
We live in an era where we are looking for the next “thing.” The average attention span is about eight seconds. People can only stay on the website for 10 seconds (thanks for reading!). Most of us check the phone at least every few minutes, hoping for the sweet satisfaction of notifications.
Maybe then I would ask if I invited you to back off your mind for two or three years.
In hockey, a name dominates NHL draft headlines, prospect lists and articles, fantasizing that if they land a “thing” they fantasize about the fate of the franchise.
Connor Bedard has been having a fever for several months after his fever, attracting attention from the hockey world. When the Chicago Blackhawks selected his first game in 2023, he assumed the usual expectations related to the players compared to Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky.
Then, the focus and attention disappeared.
A year later, McLebrini became the next “thing”. Players of Bedard selection like Matvei Michkov made their debut and made their mark. The Blackhawks have been struggling and have become one of the worst teams in the league in the past two seasons.
Related: Black Hawk 5’s Key to Success in 2025 – 26
Despite scoring 128 points in his first two seasons, Bedard lost his “hype” that has been with him since he entered the public eye. Just like Keyser Söze in The usual suspect“That way, he’s gone.”
At least, that’s what many people believe. However, more and more comments say that Bedard is ready for a breakout season. But anyone who watches Bedard is very aware that the “hype” shouldn’t dissipate like it does, which further inspires Bedard.
How Bedard lost ‘hype’
This piece won’t say that Beddard has a better reputation than his, although I do believe it and filed the case earlier this year. Instead, let’s explore how to dissipate his hype so quickly and raise expectations of what it has been created.
Everyone wants Bedard to be the next “one”. Comparisons with McDavid and Crosby were filled with comparisons, and the pressure to restore the Blackhawks franchise to its former glory was immediately apparent after General Manager Kyle Davidson chose him. Even if excitement inevitably rises when discussing any expected first overall choice, the hockey community doesn’t use the term “generation” easily.
Matthew Schaefer? Not from generation to generation.
celebrate? Not from generation to generation.
jurajslafkovský? Not from generation to generation.
Irving’s power? Not from generation to generation.
Alexislafrenière? Not from generation to generation.
These are not my decisions. These are the consensus of every player’s draft. You will have a hard time finding any serious hockey mind that calls these players “passed from generation to generation.”
Correctly. Overuse dilution potency. Heck, Nathan Mackinnon didn’t receive the “Generations” tag. We rarely use the term, and obviously some of the best players in the NHL today don’t pay tribute to the tag.
Bedard is.
At that time, it was necessary. Bedard released stratospheric numbers, breaking records in the Western Hockey League and the World Junior Championships. He makes everyone else look like mini Mitt.
If we can turn Uncle Ben’s quotes from Spider-Man to our own use, then “having a great label will bring great responsibility.” Once Bedard is fixed to be passed down from generation to generation, only the performance of generations can be satisfied, maintain and awe the masses.
Obviously, Bedard has not been passed down from generation to generation. He is very good. Very, very good (we will discuss it further). But he was not passed down from generation to generation.
All the hype is trapped in the gap between expectations and delivery.
Bedard is very good
Last week, a good friend of mine sent me a clip from my Bedard training this summer. Take a few seconds to watch (please come back).
@kaivohockey_Connor Bedard of Chicago Blackhawks
Not bad, is it? Or, despite precise stops and turns, Bedard won’t lose any speed?
Talk about Bedede’s summer training, especially how he skipped the World Championships and focused only on improvement. Of course, this is not an NHL game, but he looks flip in the above segment. Then it hit me:
Baidede wants to be “passed from generation to generation”. Oops
He knew he hadn’t reached that level yet. But he wants and does that, he has to drive everything by motivation. Talent and work ethics are there. Now is the time for willpower.
McDavid is not the same player as Crosby. Crosby is not the same player as Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is not Gretzky (stay away from it). But all are talented from generation to generation, and when rounding up their games, they tend to make them players.
Bedard had to do so. Of course, he had to improve, but Bedard, who received the “Generations” label, was the only one who could meet expectations. We looked to him this summer like he was doing it.
Talents won’t disappear overnight
Even if talented hockey players can’t transition to the NHL, their talent won’t evaporate. Usually, it is impossible to compete with the speed and strength of the NHL.
This is not the case with Bedard. He showed he could get success with jaw-dropping goals and even 200-foot defense. Hard work, growth and time will allow him to show everyone why his name breathes the same as McDavid and Crosby.
Current NHL greats see and know this. McKinnon has said that he had “killed” Bedard’s age group (from the production of Nathan Mackinnon that I’ve killed at the age of 19, I’ve killed it for it’,’ sportsMarch 11, 2025).
Patrick Kane recently weighed:
I think we all see him having a moment of hockey throughout the game, the theatrical performances he does, “Okay, “Okay, not many people can do it.” If I were a fan of the Blackhawks or someone in the organization, that might be my last concern because… he cared so much. He wanted to be good. That was half the battle.
There is a saying that the greatest trick that the devil pulls is to convince him of a world that does not exist. Maybe Bedard had the same trick on his sleeve.
