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Frustrated Connor Bedard on Blackhawks' Loss: 'We Get Dog Walked'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jan 1, 2025 5:01 AM ET

Connor Bedard didn’t sugarcoat his feelings following the Chicago Blackhawks’ 6–2 loss to the St. Louis Blues in Tuesday’s NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

The one-sided matchup frustrated the Blackhawks star, who openly criticized his team’s performance on one of hockey’s biggest stages.

“It’s a special day,” Bedard said, per NHL's Dan Rosen. ”How many teams are playing outdoors this year? Four.

”So, we are fortunate to be one of those picked, and we kind of get dog walked there. It’s frustrating for sure.”

St. Louis improved to a perfect 3-0-0 record in Winter Classic games, including two wins against Chicago (this year and back in 2017).

Connor Bedard on losing 6-2 in the Winter Classic:

“It’s a special day. How many teams are playing outdoors this year? Four. So, we are fortunate to be one of those picked and we kind of get dog walked there. It’s frustrating for sure.”

Dog walked is a term I'll now be using.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) January 1, 2025

While the Blackhawks struggled, Bedard managed to collect a point, now having 33 points in 38 games through New Year's Eve.

Teammates Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi were the lone scorers for Chicago, but their contributions couldn’t offset the Blues’ performance.

Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno went further than Bedard with his post-game comments, dropping an expletive in frustration before getting into details.

"It’s just embarrassing to lose 6-2 in an environment like that,’’ Foligno said. ‘‘On this stage, with the excitement that we had before the game, I thought this was going to be a turning point for our club.

"And obviously, it wasn’t."

With the loss, the Blackhawks dropped to 12-24-2 on the season and still trail all teams in the NHL with just 26 total points in 38 games.

Chicago will look to bounce back when they host the struggling Montreal Canadiens on Friday with the Habs sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 17-17-3 record.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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