Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard probably could use some help from Angel Reese when it comes to self-marketing.
Unlike Reese, the Chicago Sky rookie who quickly introduced herself as a multimedia brand from TikTok videos to the pages of Vogue, Bedard has never been one to make any news or seek the media spotlight.
Even the suit he picked out for the traditional red-carpet walk before Thursday’s home opener at the United Center wasn’t flashy.
“Nothing crazy or anything,” Bedard, 19, said after the morning practice. “Pretty basic.”
That basically much sums up Bedard, a nice kid and a no-frills sports personality in an organization that could use a little crazy right now. Suffice to say he won’t be hopping on a private jet after practice to attend the Met Gala in New York, as Reese did in May to much fanfare.
Getting noticed on social media is not Bedard’s style and not what the Hawks want.
Bedard’s job is to be himself, and if he manages to become the superstar everyone believes he’ll be, no one will care whether he’s colorful.
His reputation for blandness was already spreading as a rookie.
“Eighteen-years-old and he clichés like a man twice his age,” a Globe and Mail reporter wrote remarked last October.
Bedard is comfortable enough with that vanilla image to poke fun at his lack of quotability, and he’s doing more to mold his image. He recently was featured along with several of his young peers in an NHL commercial mocking Gen Z stereotypes, in which he’s asked if it was the “laziest generation.”
“Yeah, we don’t work hard,” Bedard sarcastically replies with a grin, followed by shots of him working out hard.
Entering Year Two of the Bedard era, the Hawks desperately are hoping it’s an improvement from Year One, when they finished second-to-last in points and experienced a noticeable decrease in interest during the 14-game stretch Bedard missed with a broken jaw.
There’s no debating the Blackhawks are in a rebuild. The question is whether they’re still at the beginning or ready to take that next step toward contending. Our eyes tell us it’s the former, but the Hawks’ hint that it’s the latter.
Nick Foligno, the newly installed captain, insisted during the season-opening trip there would be “no moral victories” this year. If that’s the case, we should expect more from this team than the blown lead in a 2-1 loss Friday in Winnipeg, Manitoba, when Arvid Söderblom gave up a goal with 1 minute, 4 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner 38 seconds into overtime.
Same old Hawks or just a blip?
They ended the season-opening trip 1-2-1 but came away feeling good about themselves.
The additions of Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen were meant to fast-forward the rebuild, albeit at a slower pace than investing in a star free agent in his prime. Fourth-line winger Pat Maroon brings a presence the Hawks have lacked for years, conjuring memories of former enforcers Bob Probert and Dave Manson.
“The Big Rig” got a special shoutout during the red-carpet walk from analyst Darren Pang, who called him “a guy that doesn’t say no to the other team.” Maroon led the league in penalty minutes two years ago with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and though he’s 36 and has had back issues, the Hawks wouldn’t be unhappy if he became an instigator du jour.
Goaltender Petr Mrázek, who wore the flashiest suit to the pregame ceremony, also needs to step up to prove the timeline has been moved up. A lot of other things have to go right for this season to be considered a success.
But in the end, it’s going to be another Bedard-centric season in which focusing on the one potential superstar on the roster will offset concerns about any other contributions.
Bedard is dynamic but still has room to grow, particularly on the power play.
How long this one-man show can last without Hawks fans growing impatient is a question no one can answer. Patrick Kane didn’t have this problem. The Hawks went from 88 points in Kane’s rookie season of 2007-08 to 104 points and a conference finals appearance the following year. The rest was gravy, resulting in three Stanley Cups and a future date for a special ceremony retiring his number.
But Kane obviously had a lot of help, not the least of which was Jonathan Toews, who could help share the media burden. Foligno is the perfect spokesman to keep the media heat off Bedard, but no one was like Toews, whose presence is still missed.
Whether an improved supporting cast for Bedard can lead to significant changes in the standings is anyone’s guess. How many of these guys will still be here when the turnaround season happens?
Either way, the Hawks were back home Thursday on the West Side, accompanied by the usual pomp and circumstance — the red-carpet entrance on Madison Street that was filled with fans, most of whom were wearing Bedard jerseys.
Chairman Danny Wirtz and president of business operations Jaime Faulkner know this is an important year to get back the media attention and fan interest that has waned since their Cup core left town. The degree of difficulty has only increased with the games not being available on TV to fans — and potential fans — due to the lack of a carriage agreement between their new network, CHSN, and Comcast, the dominant cable provider in the Chicago area.
It’s like a return to the olden days when Danny Wirtz’s grandfather, Bill Wirtz, refused to televise home games in the belief it would hurt the gate. When they finally changed the policy for good in 2008, the New York Times headline read: “Blackhawks to Televise All Games, Join the 20th Century.”
Times change, but the Blackhawks (and Bulls) are going backward in the 21st century, becoming less accessible. CHSN sent out a tweet Thursday asking fans to contact Xfinity and “demand that they carry CHSN immediately,” putting the onus on the cable provider.
The good news is you can watch CHSN for free with an antenna, assuming you can hook it up and your TV isn’t too old.
Hopefully things get ironed out soon and everyone can watch Bedard do his thing. Hawks fans deserve better than a flashback to the days when “Dollar Bill” denied them the chance to watch every game.
Get it done, CHSN. And remember, no more moral victories.
