TJ Brodie felt like he had travelled back in time. It was, as the former Calgary Flames defenceman described it, “sort of deja vu for me.”
As Brodie and his Chicago Blackhawks teammates emerged Monday from the locker-room area at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre, they were greeted by a crowd of enthusiastic young fans, many just off the ice from their own minor-hockey games and each angling for an autograph or selfie or even just a fist-bump from one of the NHL’s new superstars.
It was exactly the sort of scene that you see when the home team practises at this always-happening facility on the west edge of Calgary. Brodie can attest to that.
Except that, on this day, the Flames were nowhere to be found. In this case, the marquee attraction was Blackhawks wunderkind Connor Bedard.
This generational-talent — not a term that is thrown around lightly — is in town for Tuesday’s clash with the undefeated Flames (7 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan). It will mark his first pro game at the Saddledome.
“It’s crazy, everywhere we go,” said ace broadcaster Rick Ball, who was the TV voice of the Flames for the past decade before moving to Chicago over the summer to become the new play-by-play man for the Blackhawks. “It’s amazing how many people want to catch a glimpse of Connor Bedard. He is an attraction, for sure. And he just turned 19 a couple of months ago. You forget how young he is. He’s just a kid. All the pressure on him, I think he’s handled it very well. The expectations are sky-high and the attention has gotta be crushing sometimes, but he deals with it like a pro. That says a lot about his character.”
Indeed, Bedard shrugged off Monday’s hubbub, insisting “there’s a good amount of guys (in the NHL) that would get a bit of that.”
The reigning Calder Trophy winner reminded that the Saddledome was sold-out in February 2023 when the Hitmen hosted his Regina Pats in Western Hockey League action, pointing to that as proof “they’re obviously passionate about hockey in Canada and here in Calgary.”
“It’s pretty neat to have kids look up to you and be excited to watch you practice,” said Bedard, who hails from North Vancouver, B.C., and was the first-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. “We were doing a couple forecheck drills and they were excited to be watching. So it’s great, just getting that love and support.”
Whether Bedard will admit it or not, not many visitors get this sort of reception.
And this hockey-crazed city has been waiting a little longer than anticipated. When the Blackhawks rolled through in January, the rising-star centre was sidelined by a broken jaw.
In 71 appearances so far at the NHL level, including three this season, Bedard has notched 23 goals and 43 assists. He was named first star after a three-point outburst in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Oilers in Edmonton and will undoubtedly be a focal point of Tuesday’s pre-game prep for the home-side.
The Blackhawks, after finishing with the second-worst record in the league last winter, are 1-1-1 this fall.
“We know they’re going to play hard,” Bedard said of the Flames, out to a 3-0 start after victories over the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and arch-rival Oilers. “I think they’re really determined this year. I’ve watched a couple of their games and just how they work, how detailed they are, I think that’s kind of what we can expect (Tuesday). There’s really going to be no easy chances offensively. We’re going to have to work for it.
“With our season last year and how disappointed we were about that, obviously we were coming into this year and wanting to get a lot better,” he added. “And I know for them, a lot of people had doubted them to start the year and they started off strong. It’s three games, so it’s not a huge deal, but I’m sure they’re pretty fired up going into each game, and so are we.”
If Monday’s scene at WinSport is any indication, there will be a lot of fired-up fans showing up for this battle between the Flames and Blackhawks.
Most will be there to root for the locals, but they’re also eager for that first glimpse of Bedard.
“His hockey sense is off-the-charts. His playmaking ability is world-class. He has an excellent shot,” Ball said of No. 98. “He maybe doesn’t jump at you like Connor McDavid does, because his skating isn’t at that other level. Like, McDavid is so much better than everybody else, it’s obvious. Bedard is more subtle, but his skill-set is incredible and he’s so driven. He’s the last guy off the ice every practice. It’s become a joke in Chicago with the media because they always have to wait for him to come off. They all want to talk to him, and he’s always out there for 20 minutes longer than anybody else. It shows you what his motivation is like and his work ethic.
“I’ve been very impressed. And the way he played against the Oilers on Saturday, I think it gave me a glimpse into him as a player. Because in that situation, a battle with the best player in the league and you’re the supposed next guy, a lesser player in terms of mental toughness could have buckled. And Bedard was the best player on the ice, in my mind. That tells me a lot about his character, on top of the talent. That spoke a lot to me.”