The Chicago Blackhawks have been skating on thin ice, and GM Kyle Davidson, has had it. After three consecutive losses and all of them accompanied by four goals conceded, Davidson ensured that the players in his locker room could feel the heat. Even the best franchise player Connor Bedard was not immune to wake-up call. With Taylor Hall gone to Carolina and Chicago struggling, Davidson didn’t hold back after a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. “We expected to be further ahead in the standings but there are a lot of things we’ve improved upon across the board,” he stated via CHGO_Blackhawks on X. “Having said that, we’re in 2nd-to-last and it’s not where we want to be and we’ll react accordingly with the group moving forward.”

Translation? Big changes are coming, and hardly anyone’s untouchable. It was then that the Hawks were desperately struggling with the doubts, and then Bedard turned the game upside down in the most spectacular manner. This pressure came down heavily on this young lad and the rookie phenom gave a stunner of an equalizer against the Tampa Bay Lightning that created waves in the NHL.

The official account of the NHL just had to hit X on January 29 with a video that was a treat to the fans! Connor Bedard, with ice in his veins and magic in his stick, pulled off a jaw-dropping equalizer against the Lightning—a goal that was so beautiful that even the NHL couldn’t resist it. Dropping the must-see moment, they captioned, “You need to check out this shot by Connor Bedard… WOW!” And honestly? Given how he buried the puck in the top corner from an impossible angle, “WOW” just doesn’t cut it.

And just like that, the hockey world was buzzing! The fans couldn’t get enough and before we knew it. Hockey Daily 365 had to chime in with a much-deserved “Absolute perfection from Connor Bedard.” And honestly? They’re not wrong! I mean, we’re talking about a guy who has been branded as one of the most promising ice hockey players of his time.

Selected first overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Blackhawks, Connor made his debut in the same year and then, you know, won the Calder Memorial Trophy for the Rookie of the Year in 2024. But this was just the tip of the iceberg as many other users couldn’t get enough of this star and his latest move!

Connor Bedard receives all the love from fans!

Connor Bedard is just playing, and the fans are going wild! Within the first 40 minutes of the game, the kid was everywhere–had eight shot attempts (the most in the team), six scoring opportunities (once again, the most in the team), three high-danger shots (you guessed it, team-high), 0.81 ixG, two hits, and a near-perfect face-off percentage. With 14:11 on ice, he was straight-up dominating and the hype is real. One fan summed it up best with, “good lord what a shot,” while another couldn’t hold back, “Kid is f*ckin sick. 🔥”

One fan got it absolutely spot on when referring to him as “Names Connor ‘f*ckin Bedard”—and honestly, how could you forget the name? From his first days in the league, Bedard has been making a splash. The Regina Pats picked him up with the first overall selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, and he became the first WHL player ever to receive the ‘exceptional player status.’

From there it was a full-on domination spree, winning the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the top rookie and then later on winning the Bob Clarke Trophy and Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as a game changer. He even won the Canadian Hockey League’s Top Scorer and IIF’s first Male Player of the Year in 2023—how’s that for credentials? That is why fans are all about his unreal play and one of them said, “I could watch Connor Bedard score from the rockstar zone for the rest of the night.”

It doesn’t stop there! Larry Hawley from Hawley Sports couldn’t hold back, saying, “That’s a sure-fire Goal Of The Year candidate. Connor Bedard gets his 14th goal of the season in style.” And honestly? With a resume already stacked like his, it’s no surprise. At just 19 years old, Bedard’s hitting goals left and right—his 14th being no exception—and turning heads all over the globe. The kid is making the world his fan club one great play at a time!