Chicago Blackhawks News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Bedard has become the “people’s choice” to make Team Canada’s Olympic roster. (Matt Marton-Imagn Images)

Where Have the Connor Bedard Haters Gone?

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Nick Haydon | Last updated Dec 11, 2025 1:17 PM ET

Connor Bedard elicited plenty of criticism in his first two seasons in the NHL. Mark Messier and Paul Bissonnette both called him out on national television, criticizing his defensive play and awareness. Now, Messier and Bissonnette may not have been in the same echelon during their playing careers, but since retiring, each has become a commentator on national broadcasts on ESPN and TNT.

Frankly, those criticisms were the boiling point of what any Chicago Blackhawks fan had been seeing on social media since Bedard entered the league. People called him overrated, overhyped, and over-and-under-at-the-same-time-not-nearly-good-enough-at-18-because-clearly-I’m-the-expert.

Okay, no one said that last name verbatim, but the point is, at nearly every level, Bedard faced the same, unrelenting critiques.

If you can’t tell, I found the criticism exasperating, not because Bedard can’t be criticized but because judgments were being passed too quickly. “Patience, please,” I begged, “patience.”

Well, lo and behold, one summer of intense offseason training later, and Bedard’s taken the NHL by storm. And suddenly, many of those voices have gone deafeningly silent.

From Doubt to Admiration

Last week, Bedard stormed down the ice against defenseman Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights. With the game tied 2-2, and Bedard over one minute into his shift, he executed a truly spectacular goal that gave the Blackhawks the lead.

But Bedard wasn’t done generating highlights. In the shootout, he pulled off a Patrick Kane-esque move that dropped the jaws of whoever had finally scooped their jaws off the floor from his previous goal.

Even though the Blackhawks lost 4-3, Bedard’s performance went viral, generating millions of views, thousands of likes, and hundreds of comments praising the 20-year-old forward’s talent.

Bedard’s performance against the Golden Knights wasn’t a one-off. This season, he’s been a different player. His 41 points are sixth in the NHL, and he’s improved in virtually every category: faceoff percentage, maximum skating speed, plus/minus, and shooting percentage.

So, where have all the critics gone?

Of course, Bedard’s playing the best hockey of his life, and he’s earned the praise. As such, people have every right to change their opinions or dole out compliments when he’s playing like this. However, let’s not forget that many people didn’t think he would reach these heights.

Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas’ exchange on 32 Thoughts summed it up perfectly.

“It’s a different vibe…towards [Bedard] too. There were people saying, ‘Is he really all that? Is he really a generational guy? Does he have the speed?'” – Friedman

“There [were] people convinced that he was not!” – Bukauskas

“Exactly. Nobody’s talking about that anymore. People thought he was good, the questions was: Was he great? There’s nobody who’s elevated himself more in the eyes of his peers than Connor Bedard. And second place isn’t even close.” – Friedman

Friedman’s emphasis on “peers” proves that the doubters existed inside and outside the NHL. Bedard’s season to date has silenced both groups. However, Nathan MacKinnon saw this coming, though, so maybe we should listen to the best player in the league more often (from ‘Nathan MacKinnon on Connor Bedard’s stagnant production: ‘I’d have killed for that when I was 19,’ The Athletic, March 11, 2025).

Bedard and the Olympics

Before this season, Bedard wasn’t a strong contender for Team Canada’s 2026 Olympic roster. He may have been invited to Canada’s Olympic orientation camp, but no one thought he had a chance to make the team.

He’s completely flipped the script. He’s not only forced himself into the conversation, but he’s also established himself as what Friedman called “the people’s choice.”

“Connor Bedard is becoming the people’s choice,” Friedman said in the same episode. “Every interview I do on my circuit of interviews, people ask me [about Bedard].”

It’s not just Friedman reporting this. An internet search of “Connor Bedard Olympics” yields more than 10 articles in the last few days. Nearly every hockey podcast or YouTube channel has discussed it. And social media is ablaze with “hot” takes (which are really the same takes).

We won’t know until the end of this year whether Bedard will travel to Italy. For the time being, we can simply bask in the glorious fact that he’s proven the doubters wrong and propelled the Blackhawks’ rebuild forward.

Bedard Is Here To Stay

Blackhawks fans may have had frustrations with Bedard in his first two seasons, but no one doubted him like those who didn’t watch him as much. The seeds for this growth were there. He tended to them this summer, and Blackhawks’ fans and Canadians are reaping the rewards.

Barring some unforeseen setback, Bedard is here to stay, even if those who said he’d never arrive have changed their tunes.